Carmelite Friars and Community Life
Why does someone want to become a Carmelite? What is it that attracts him to this particular group? How can he know that this is what God wants of him? There will be no heavenly voices. We discover what God wants for us in very human ways. To be attracted to the Carmelites means that one has a certain sympathy with the charism of the Order, that is with what makes it tick. We live together as brothers because we feel that we have been called together as members of the one family to witness to the presence of God in the world. From the very beginning of our Order a very important element has been community. We do not live together so we can do more work as a group than we could as separate individuals. We believe that our living together is a sign of the truth of the Gospel. Jesus said that we should love one another as he has loved us. Bu living in community we try to do that.
What is Community?
It involves sharing: the Eucharist, meals, prayer, ideas, possessions, hopes, aspirations, the very core of one’s personality. It is not possible to know what it is really like to live in community without experiencing it.
It has been said that whenever you get two Carmelites together, you will get at least three strongly held positions on even the simplest of matters! Should you have a cup of tea? What, and exploit the plantation workers of Sri Lanka! But this tea is not from a multinational. Have you considered the health risk from addictive drugs like caffeine? I suppose you want coffee thus demonstrating your social superiority. Strong or weak, warm the pot or not, tea bags or tea leaves? For heaven’s sake, it is only tea! Imagine then the anguish over values which touch you deeply.
Are you called to community?
Can you accept with heartfelt warmth the idiosyncrasies of others? Can you appreciate the deeply held values that they are trying to live out and support them in their efforts? That is not quite the same as trying to persuade them that you have a better way of living. Can you accept the amused
tolerance of your brothers at the way you are trying to live and would ideally like them to live too? Can you delight in relationships with others and let them touch and mould you in ways you cannot predict or control? Can you accept that these relationships are constantly being made and broken as communities form and disperse depending on the demands of the people we serve? Can you drink deeply from the well of the community which exists and grows when you freely make available the talents and gifts that you have been endowed with to others? Can you trustfully allow your talents and gifts to be nurtured and developed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the form of your brothers?
If you think that the community lifestyle can empower you to become a better human being and want to serve God within such a community, perhaps the Lord is saying something to you
Questions for Reflection
· Describe experiences of community you have had.
· What are the attractive elements of living in community?
· What are the challenging elements?
What is Community?
It involves sharing: the Eucharist, meals, prayer, ideas, possessions, hopes, aspirations, the very core of one’s personality. It is not possible to know what it is really like to live in community without experiencing it.
It has been said that whenever you get two Carmelites together, you will get at least three strongly held positions on even the simplest of matters! Should you have a cup of tea? What, and exploit the plantation workers of Sri Lanka! But this tea is not from a multinational. Have you considered the health risk from addictive drugs like caffeine? I suppose you want coffee thus demonstrating your social superiority. Strong or weak, warm the pot or not, tea bags or tea leaves? For heaven’s sake, it is only tea! Imagine then the anguish over values which touch you deeply.
Are you called to community?
Can you accept with heartfelt warmth the idiosyncrasies of others? Can you appreciate the deeply held values that they are trying to live out and support them in their efforts? That is not quite the same as trying to persuade them that you have a better way of living. Can you accept the amused
tolerance of your brothers at the way you are trying to live and would ideally like them to live too? Can you delight in relationships with others and let them touch and mould you in ways you cannot predict or control? Can you accept that these relationships are constantly being made and broken as communities form and disperse depending on the demands of the people we serve? Can you drink deeply from the well of the community which exists and grows when you freely make available the talents and gifts that you have been endowed with to others? Can you trustfully allow your talents and gifts to be nurtured and developed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the form of your brothers?
If you think that the community lifestyle can empower you to become a better human being and want to serve God within such a community, perhaps the Lord is saying something to you
Questions for Reflection
· Describe experiences of community you have had.
· What are the attractive elements of living in community?
· What are the challenging elements?
Carmelite wisdom
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“Carmelite communities are authentic schools of prayer; in these schools hearts fall in love.”
Pope Benedict XVI |