Rector’s Reflections
Thursday 13th June 2024
Carmelite Spirituality for Today’s World
In yesterday’s reflections, I suggested that Carmelites see Christian Spirituality as an exploration of love. What does it mean to love ourselves and to love one another? What does it mean to love God, and for God to love us? What might the Bible have to say to on these topics? How might we pray about them?
Carmelite Spirituality is a spirituality based on love. But Carmelites live in the real world, and they are well aware that it Is not always easy to love others, or indeed to love ourselves. Carmelites proclaim the value of love, but they are also aware that the value of love comes up against other things which human beings consider important. Few if any Christians have the luxury of living in a world where love reigns supreme. Carmelites face this tension between the world as it should be and the world as human being have made it, and their honesty in facing up to this tension gives their spirituality an edge, which prevents it from dissolving into a pool of sentimentality.
In the real world, the value of love comes up against so many other values. To start with, most people like a bit of material comfort and some financial security. But surely if we loved God enough, we wouldn’t need to worry about the material realities of life? And surely if we really loved others, we would give everything away to those who have absolutely nothing? Carmelites have struggled with these questions. Carmelites are Friars, like the Franciscans and the Dominicans, which means that their tradition places an emphasis on living simple lives. Carmelites live simply, avoiding luxury, but the what this means in practice will vary according to circumstances. While every Carmelite will be committed to living simply , I think most Carmelites would view this as an ongoing challenge: a good Carmelite will always be asking themselves the question, “Am I living simply enough?”. It is so easy to accumulate possessions and power, and so hard to get rid of stuff.
So the imperative of love can come up against our desire for material possessions and security. It can also come up against assumptions about roles and status. For example, some societies and organisations assume that women should have a subordinate role, and leave the men to make all the important decisions. Some Carmelites have gone along with this, but others have disagreed. A notable example would be St Teresa of Avila, who as well as being a saint, was a strong woman who was willing and capable of challenging the male dominated power structures of her day. St Teresa of Avila also modelled the idea of men and women working together in a partnership of equals: she worked closely with another Carmelite saint, St John of the cross, to reform existing communities of Carmelites and to bring new communities into existence. For St Teresa, the priority was love: loving God, and sharing God’s love with others. The demands of love triumphed over any social expectations that women should know their place, keep quiet and not make a fuss. I think in St Teresa’s case, the triumph of love was also the triumph of her own personality: she seems to have been quite a feisty lady, and God blessed her feistiness mightily. If we are allowed to hold parties in heaven, I would definitely recommend sending an invitation to St Teresa. I would make a note on the invitation that there will be dancing- St Teresa enjoyed a dance.
The imperative of love can also come up against the reality of human suffering. What if you having to deal with acute pain and suffering on a daily basis? Is it still possible to talk about love in such challenging circumstances? How can we talk about God’s love when we are in the midst of suffering? One of the great Carmelite saints, St Teresa of Lisieux, would say that even in the midst of acute suffering, it is still possible to talk about the love of God. St Teresa of Lisieux died in her 20s, after enduring much suffering, both physical and mental. She managed to keep her sense of humour, and despite her reputation for holiness, she remained very much a human being. For example, there was an occasion when she was on her sickbed, and made a request for something. What was it going to be? Surely something religious, like a rosary or a bible? No. She fancied a chocolate éclair! For St Teresa of Lisieux, “it is love alone that counts”.
Why were St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross, and St Teresa of Lisieux prepared to challenge some of our human assumptions? It was because they put their focus and emphasis on the love of God, and love of neighbour. For Carmelites, love comes first.
This sounds very practical, and indeed, love will always seek to express itself in words and actions, and in a myriad of other practical ways as well. But love can also seek to express itself in spiritual ways as well, and we will look at this in tomorrow’s reflections.