Carmelite Friars and Ministry
A core value we have as Carmelites is the service of God’s people. Our ministry is wide and varied. Currently we have friars working in retreats, pilgrimage and hospitality, parishes, prison chaplaincy, university chaplaincy, youth ministry, education, adult faith formation and spiritual direction. Many of our friars are ordained priests, but much of our work is about being present to people on the different paths that they are on. The most important quality that one can bring to ministry is a listening ear and a compassionate heart.
Another dimension of our ministry is that it has a Carmelite flavour. This is difficult to define. Some say that it is not what we do, but the way that we do it. I think living in a community gives a different approach to things such as preaching and teaching. We can relate to the pressures of living in close proximity to others. We know what it can be like when joy and disappointment rub shoulders. We know how easy it can be to be lonely in a crowd but also find comfort in a group. These are real experiences that have an echo in the lives of the people we serve. We are not super human; we are ordinary men seeking to live in a way that is life-giving to each of us, and those whom we serve. At the reception of novices in 2011, the homilist put it this way:
“Here you will learn how to live in community. We will come to know one another well. You will learn that community demands patience, tolerance, generosity and respect. It would be unnatural if we all got on with one another, or always agreed with each other – I think that it would also be quite boring! So it would be a surprise if this year went by without anyone annoying us, upsetting us or getting on our nerves. Remember, that if someone is getting on your nerves you are almost certainly getting on theirs. Each one of us here is in some way wounded. We carry that scars and wounds of disappointment and some of these wounds are deep. You are not joining a community of saints. We are very human, but we desire God and we desire God’s will and in this we honour God and surrender ourselves to his love. You will discover amongst the brothers deep affection and concern for each other.”
The quality of our ministry is the fruit of our humanity. We place in God’s hands the gift of who we are, so that God might work through us to let His love be known.
Questions for Reflection
· Do you see yourself as gifted?
· What are those gifts?
· Will they flourish in community?
Another dimension of our ministry is that it has a Carmelite flavour. This is difficult to define. Some say that it is not what we do, but the way that we do it. I think living in a community gives a different approach to things such as preaching and teaching. We can relate to the pressures of living in close proximity to others. We know what it can be like when joy and disappointment rub shoulders. We know how easy it can be to be lonely in a crowd but also find comfort in a group. These are real experiences that have an echo in the lives of the people we serve. We are not super human; we are ordinary men seeking to live in a way that is life-giving to each of us, and those whom we serve. At the reception of novices in 2011, the homilist put it this way:
“Here you will learn how to live in community. We will come to know one another well. You will learn that community demands patience, tolerance, generosity and respect. It would be unnatural if we all got on with one another, or always agreed with each other – I think that it would also be quite boring! So it would be a surprise if this year went by without anyone annoying us, upsetting us or getting on our nerves. Remember, that if someone is getting on your nerves you are almost certainly getting on theirs. Each one of us here is in some way wounded. We carry that scars and wounds of disappointment and some of these wounds are deep. You are not joining a community of saints. We are very human, but we desire God and we desire God’s will and in this we honour God and surrender ourselves to his love. You will discover amongst the brothers deep affection and concern for each other.”
The quality of our ministry is the fruit of our humanity. We place in God’s hands the gift of who we are, so that God might work through us to let His love be known.
Questions for Reflection
· Do you see yourself as gifted?
· What are those gifts?
· Will they flourish in community?
Carmelite wisdom
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“My vocation is love.”
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Carmelite nun |