Carmel is a School of Prayer
"When you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut the door, pray to your Father Who is in that secret place." (Mt. 6:6) "Make your home in Me as I make Mine in you." (jn. 15:4) The Teresian Carmelite way of prayer stresses interior communion, an intimate friendship with "Him by Whom we know we are loved." St. Teresa of Avila writes in her Way of Perfection: "I would like to know a way of explaining how this holy friendship with our Companion, the Saint of saints, may be experienced without any hindrance to the solitude enjoyed between soul and its Spouse when the soul desires to enter this paradise within itself, to be with its God and close the door to all the world." (29, 4)
Friends and acquaintances often engage in a lot of "small talk", but when two people have a deep love for each other, it is enough to just be together in silence, sensing the other's presence. There is no need for words because there are no words. "The love of silence leads to the silence of love." (Elizabeth of the Trinity)
"I understood that the Church had a Heart and that Heart was BURNING WITH LOVE, I understood it was Love alone that made the Church's members act, that if Love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel and martyrs would not shed their blood. I understood that LOVE COMPRISED ALL VOCATIONS, THAT LOVE WAS EVERYTHING, THAT IT EMBRACED ALL TIMES AND PLACES . . .IN A WORD, THAT IT WAS ETERNAL! Then, in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love . . . my vocation, at last I have found it . . . MY VOCATION IS LOVE!" (St. Therese of Lisieux in Story of a Soul, Fr. John Clarke, OCD, p.194)
The world of the spirit is not bound by the laws of time or space any more than it is bound by the law of gravity. The saints were like time travelers who, through the vehicle of God's grace, moved through time into eternity and returned to chart spiritual directions for those who were to journey after them. Like our earthly travelers, no two trips are alike. The road is the same, and the landmarks are the same, but the experiences along the way are different for each soul.
It is reassuring to know that we have the teachings and traditions of the Church, and the ancient heritage of Carmel, to keep us on the right path, for God often draws us to Himself in "a cloud of unknowing," and asks us to take the first steps to Him in faith. Many souls are searching for a deeper spirituality, but are not clear in their minds how God is leading them. it is a lifetime journey, and He reveals His plans one step at a time. if we learn to "listen with our hearts" we gradually come to know God's will for us. In silent, expectant waiting, we try to learn God's plan, not convince Him of ours. "Enough for me to keep my soul tranquil and quiet like a child in its mother's arms." (Ps. 131:2) "I sleep but my heart watches." Sg. 5:2)
Some people give up daily meditation because they "do not get anything out of it." Real love is giving, not getting. We give God the gift of our time daily, unconditionally, to do with as He wishes. "I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on." (Mk. 12:34)
We are all busy and our time is precious. Sometimes valuable to us is the only thing worth offering to God, so we give time from "the little that we have to live on." We should not fit God into our spare time like a hobby, but must rearrange our priorities. "The important thing is not to think much, but to love much." (Interior Castle IV, 1, 7)
From "Welcome to Carmel"
Teresian Charism Press
1525 Carmel Rd
Hubertus, WI 53033
