Early Tradition
The Carmelite tradition is an ancient one, going back in spirit to the Prophet Elijah and to his disciple, Elisha, who received his mantle and his “double spirit,” the two-fold spirit of contemplation and apostolic zeal. The words of Elijah — “With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts” (1 Kgs 19:14)— have become the Carmelite motto. It was not until 1207, however, that St. Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, gave the hermits of Mount Carmel a formal Rule of Life. These first hermits dedicated a little chapel to the Blessed Virgin Mary on Mount Carmel, undertaking the obligation of living the evangelical counsels in allegiance to Christ and His Virgin Mother.
When the hermits came to Europe during the Middle Ages, certain adaptations were made to fit the European social structure. It belonged to the unique genius and “double spirit” of Our Holy Mother, Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), the 16th-century Spanish Carmelite reformer, to achieve a balance between the eremitical (hermit) and communal elements, all within the context of a life of apostolic prayer
Life of Prayer
According to Saint Teresa’s insight, the Carmelite Nun is a woman who lives in solitude for others. Her enclosure wall is not a sign of separation, but of commitment. She is an Ecclesial woman; her life is centered on the Eucharist, where she receives Christ and offers herself in union with Him for His Body, the Church.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (The Little Flower) has expressed our vocation in this way: “In the heart of my mother the Church, I will be LOVE…” for she knew that “love reaches through time and space, because it is eternal.” The Carmelite vocation is a many-faceted and richly rewarding total consecration to Christ through chastity, poverty and obedience in a life of prayer.
Our Holy Mother, Saint Teresa of Avila made prayer the foundation of our life and our primary activity. Daily we gather together to celebrate the Eucharist which is the source and summit of our life. The praise and gratitude of the Eucharistic celebration is extended to the various hours of our day as we gather together to chant the Liturgy of the Hours.
One hour in the morning and one in the evening is spent in personal prayer. Saint Teresa describes prayer as “an intimate sharing between friends, a frequent lingering in solitude, with Him who we know loves us.” Liturgical prayer enriches our personal prayer while personal prayer deepens our participation in the liturgical mysteries. Prayer is not confined to these specific times, however, for it permeates our entire life.
Spiritual reading in silence and solitude nourishes our prayer. Through study of the Scriptures (especially the Gospels), the writings of the Saints, and other theological and spiritual books, we come to a deeper knowledge of Christ, our Spouse.
“In order to foster the prayerful and solitary atmosphere that is the hallmark of Carmel, all the sisters shall carefully keep silence, except when they are required to talk by necessity or by reason of their duties, or when they have the permission of the Prioress to speak with sisters in response to some need.” Constitutions #82
“For all the time in which the sisters are not with the community or are occupied with house duties, they will keep each to her own cell, as the Rule prescribes; they will remain in God’s presence in solitude and give themselves to prayer, study or work.” Constitutions #83
Community Life
The Teresian charism combines both the eremitical (hermit) and cenobitical (community) religious traditions. St. Teresa envisioned small communities where all the sisters would be friends to help each other build up the Church through a life of prayer and mutual love.
The daily schedule affords time for prayer and work in solitude as well as time for communal prayer and sisterly sharing at recreation.
The Teresian ideal is of a small family in which all are equal, relations are open and sincere, joys and sorrows are shared, and the members are committed to one another for their entire lives.
Work
Work is an integral part of our lives as we imitate Mary, who lovingly toiled in the home at Nazareth.
“The Lord doesn’t look so much at the greatness of our works,” writes Saint Teresa of Avila, “as at the love with which they are done.” Though we usually work in solitude, there are times when help is needed; but there is no common workroom.
The spirituality of Carmel celebrates the beauty and wonder of God’s creation; Mount Carmel in Scripture is seen as the epitome of the earthly garden of beauty. This traditional appreciation for creation fits in with the growing modern-day respect for our environment.
Each sister cultivates the small garden she is given and thus establishes a deep connection with the living earth. Thus we ponder on the many spiritual lessons which nature teaches: birth, growth, death and resurrection as expressed and shown forth in the changing seasons. During the course of the year, Jesus’ parables come to life in an actual way in the sowing of seeds, planting and harvesting, as we each tend our gardens.
In practical terms, we are enthusiastic recyclers. We compost all our kitchen scraps using the technique of vermicomposting (composting with worms). We hope to grow in this spirit of good stewardship of the piece of earth which God has given us to care for.
Joy and Self-Denial
Joy is another characteristic element of our life because it emanates from our prayerful awareness of God’s loving, abiding presence. Our Holy Mother Saint Teresa had no love for sad- faced saints.
Self-denial with joy is a gift of the Spirit. We follow Jesus, our Spouse, up the mount of Calvary, but we do not go alone. “True perfection,” explains Saint Teresa, “consists in love of God and neighbor.” This love, which is the fruit of prayer, is often freely expressed in the helping hand we give to one another.
Blessed Virgin Mary
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother and patroness of our Carmelite Order. We place ourselves under her maternal protection. The mystery of her life and union with Christ is our ideal model of consecration. Like Mary, we bear Jesus in our hearts, contemplate Him in silence, serve Him in humility, stand at the foot of His cross, and share the joy of His resurrection.
Remember, Virgin Mother of God, when you stand in the sight of the Lord, speak good things for us
Mary is more a Mother than a Queen.
Horarium
| 05:30 | Rise |
| 05:50 | Private Prayer |
| 06:50 |
Morning Prayer Great Silence ends |
| 08:00 |
Eucharistic Celebration Midmorning Prayer |
| 09:00 |
Breakfast Manual Work |
| Noon |
Angelus & Midday Prayer Hymn in Honor of Mary Carmelite Commemorations Examen Mid-afternoon Prayer |
| 12:35 | Dinner & Recreation |
| 02:00 | Spiritual Reading (an hour) |
| 03:00 |
Prayers for the Dying Manual work |
| 04:35 | Evening Prayer |
| 05:00 | Private Prayer |
| 06:00 | Angelus & Office of Readings |
| 06:30 | Supper |
| 07:30 | Recreation |
| 08:30 |
Examen & Night Prayer Free Time – Great Silence |
| 10:30 | Retire |
St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Avila
St Teresa of Avila (known in Carmel as “St. Teresa of Jesus” and “Our Holy Mother Teresa”), is the Spanish foundress of the Discalced Carmelite Order. She was aflame with mystical love for God while at the same time being grounded in common sense.
Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada was born on March 28, 1515 in Avila, Spain to a pious Catholic family of nobility. Teresa was her father’s favorite and grew up fun-loving, aware of her attractiveness, with a gift for friendship and a great concern for her reputation. Nonetheless, she was fascinated by the idea of ‘forever’, played at being hermits with her brother and pretended to be nuns with her girlfriends. She admitted to being attracted to the idea of religious life, but it was not as great as her attraction to more worldly things! Teresa had a long road to travel even before her entrance into Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation in 1535.
When she finally knocked on the monastery door, although her will was not completely inclined to being a nun yet, she said, “I saw that religious life was the best state and so decided to force myself to accept it” (Life, 4.5). Not the finest motive for entering Carmel, but after receiving the Habit a year later, she wrote, “Within an hour, He (Christ) gave me such great happiness at being in the religious state of life that it has never left me up to this day” (Life, 4.2).
Teresa’s life for the next 20 years or so was a battle with ill-health and a tumultuous spiritual life. She was conflicted between spending endless hours in the parlor socializing with the high society of Avila, and a prayer life where the Lord was asking for more of her attention. Finally, she responded to grace to “follow resolutely by means of this path of prayer Him who has loved us so much” (Life, 11.1). Fidelity to prayer led to serious conversations with her group of friends and from these, the idea of founding a monastery following the Primitive Rule came to birth. However, as Teresa was perfectly content with her life at the Incarnation, she delayed until the Lord Himself intervened and “earnestly commanded me to strive for this new monastery” (Life, 32.11).
The Carmel of St. Joseph in Avila was founded on August 24, 1562, and Teresa’s life as Foundress and Reformer began in earnest. The monastery in Medina del Campo followed in 1567 and then 16 more until the final foundation in Burgos in 1582. After twenty years of intense activity in the service of the Church, Teresa died at the age of 67, in Alba de Tormes, on October 4, 1582, thanking God that she died a “Daughter of the Church.”
Writing from her own experience, Teresa bequeathed to her daughters and to the whole Church a rich spiritual heritage. Her writings include: The Way of Perfection; her autobiography entitled The Book of Her Life; The Book of Her Foundations; Spiritual Testimonies; poetry and hundreds of letters of advice on medical, financial and spiritual matters; and her crowning jewel, The Interior Castle. She was proclaimed the first woman Doctor of the Church in 1970 because of the soundness, richness and universal quality of her spiritual writings and wisdom.
"Prayer, in my opinion, is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us."
(St. Teresa - Life, 8, 5)