J M J T
The
Carmelite Novitiate
OUTLOOK
Published
Monthly by the Discalced Carmelite Fathers, Our Lady’s Hill, Waverly, New York
Volume 1, No. 2 January, 1962
Dear
Friends of Carmel,
Here we are with our second issue of
“Outlook”. As we begin to write we
realize that we have to start making good on the promises we made last
month. Those of you who did not receive
the first issue (for your names were only recently given to us as persons who
might be interested in this bulletin) are probably wondering what promises we
are referring to. If you would like to
find out, and at the same time get an overall picture of what the “Outlook” is
all about, drop us a line and we will send it to you.
As we stated in the first issue,
this bulletin is in tended as a kind of friendly letter. So we know you won’t mind if we indulge in a
little small talk concerning life here in our new monastery. (This is to balance the ‘big talk’ of the
opening number.)
Our first six weeks here have been
very interesting. They have been a lot
of other things, too, things that had better be left unsaid. We may safely say this, though: they have been hectic.
Surely most of you have experienced
what it is to move. Well, magnify that
by at least ten and you have a pretty fair idea of what it is to move a
monastery.
You know, Carmel is, among other
things, a ‘school’ of virtue. Under
ordinary circumstances a Carmelite Monastery is the place to learn such things
as patience, humility, meekness, self-effacement, self-discipline, heroic
faith, absolute confidence in Divine Providence, etc. But in these beginnings it seems we are being subjected to a
particularly intensive ‘course’ in the above named virtues.
There are times when we find such
thoughts as the following welling up from our deepest interior and struggling
for expression: “O.K., sure! It’s true
we want to become saints, but what’s the rush?
Do we have to pursue holiness at this rate? Why can’t we hang on to our vices a little while longer? Why can’t we prolong the farewell? They’ve served us so well for so long.”
All of which points up the fact that
God is very close to everyone and takes us at our word when we ask Him to send
us those things that will make us more like Himself. But don’t get us wrong, we wouldn’t trade this life for the whole
world.
* * * *
In the past couple of weeks it has
also occurred to us that, in order to attract more young men, we might well add
the following ‘blurb’ to our vocation literature: “Come to Carmel and be an engineer!”
You see, our basement looks like and
sounds like a factory. There are
boilers, compressors, pumps, gauges, valves, intricate piping systems and what
not. We have had to learn quite a bit
about all these things so as to be able to handle (we usually end up
man-handling) minor difficulties and to be able to discuss coherently (not
always easy to do) with the servicemen the more serious troubles that
arise. Before too long we should be
qualified to give mechanical as well as spiritual advice.
Really, though, things have been
pretty good in general. The only
persistent annoyance has been the masonry dust. Until the cement block walls have been painted and the cement
floors overlaid with tile something we will do ourselves when we have saved up
sufficient funds) we will continue to be plagued by the omnipresent powder that
coats all things, including our lungs (cough, cough) with a fine film. It’s gotten so that every time I come back
to the monastery after having been away, these words come automatically into my
mind: “Dust thou art and unto dust thou
art returning.”
* * * *
During the month of December we got our first sample of snow. For several days it was very difficult, at times impossible, to drive up the steep road leading to the monastery. But with the aid of salt, sand, snow tires and a running start it was possible to make the grade.
This turns out to be a happy
coincidence, for we can see in it a likeness to the effort we have undertaken
to climb the mount of spiritual perfection.
All of the things mentioned have their counterpart in the life of the
spirit.
The most pronounced and
ever-present obstacle to overcome in climbing a steep hill is the pull of
gravity. This corresponds to the
constant downward pull of our innate and acquired concupiscences. Under ordinary road conditions any halfway
decent car can conquer the slope.
Likewise, when we are not beset by complicating circumstances, we grow
gradually in Sanctifying Grace in virtue of the ordinary observances our Faith
enjoins. But under the influence of
temptation, passion, bad example, laziness, selfishness, etc., the ordinary
practices of our Faith do not keep us from sliding backwards. It is then that we need special helps.
We need salt. Salt breaks up ice and causes it to melt
away. The salt is like the Word of God,
which, when meditated on and applied to the passion or temptation in question,
breaks it up and dissipates its influence.
We need sand. This is what checks our slipping and
backsliding. Sand may be likened to
contrition. The word “contrition” comes
from a Latin verb meaning to crush into fine particles, to reduce to the
consistency of sand. Contrition and the
firm purpose of amendment, which it includes as an integral element, keep us from
sliding back in our spiritual life.
We need snow tires. They provide a firm grip when the going is
slippery. What does this correspond to
if not self-denial? Nothing else so
helps us to gain self-mastery. Without
self-mastery it is impossible to grow in conformity to the Will of God.
And finally, we need a
running start. It is an established
principle of Physics that with plenty of momentum it requires less effort to
maintain forward motion. A running start
in the ascent of the mount of perfection is provided by the formation of good
habits, i.e., virtues.
Thus we see that such a
commonplace thing (please God it doesn’t become commonplace around here) as
trying to climb a slippery hill can serve to remind us of some of the things
rising to a higher level in the love of God involves. We who are interested in growing in the friendship of Jesus and
Mary must incorporate these elements into our spiritual lives:
Contrition: sorrow for mediocrity and the sincere
resolution to do better;
Meditation: a systematic review (with the help of and
based on spiritual reading) of the fundamental truths of faith and their
personal practical implications.
Mortification: energetic and unremitting denial of those
tendencies that divide our attention and drain away badly needed spiritual
energy;
The Practice of Virtue: the habit of choosing promptly and
cheerfully the Will of God as it is revealed to us day by day, minute-by-minute
in the practical situation wherein we find ourselves.
* * * *
Let’s take time out now for a quick “pitch”. *(Please see note at end of document)
Here at the Carmelite Novitiate we maintain a
Purgatorial Guild for the Deceased.
Enrollments may be either for one year (offering $1.00) or perpetual
(offering $5.00). Members participate
in the following benefits:
A special Mass every Sunday;
Another Mass the first Sunday of very month;
Two novenas of Masses during the month of Nov.;
A High Mass on Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and All
Souls’ Day.
All the Masses and Communions of the Novices;
The De Profundis recited three times daily by the
Community;
The Divine Office daily;
The monthly novenas in honor of the Infant of Prague
made by the Novices.
With each perpetual enrollment there goes a
beautiful mahogany colored folder bearing the Seal of the Order and with a
lovely picture of Our Lady inside.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch… (Oops! Wrong script…)
* * * *
The feast which dominates and gives
its name to the portion of the year between Christmas-tide and Septuagesima
Sunday is the Feast of the Epiphany or Manifestation (that is what the Greek
word “Epiphany” means) of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This feast differs from Christmas in two respects.
On the one hand the Nativity
commemorates the appearance of Jesus as Man, whereas the Epiphany marks His
appearance as a Divine Person.
On the other hand, at Christmas the
birth of Jesus was announced to the Jews; on the Feast of the Epiphany it was
announced to the gentiles. He was
manifested to the people of the Eastern World in the persons of the Magi, and
to the West in the person of Herod, the representative of the Roman Empire.
We may also see in the separate
manifestations to the Magi and to Herod the fact that Jesus is manifested to
all men, whether of good or bad will.
As St. John the Evangelist states: “He (the Word) is the true light
which enlightens every man who comes into the world.” And note, too, every man seeks out Christ. Those of good will to submit to His sweet
Empire; those of other will in order to destroy Him. (He who is not with Me is against Me, and He who does not gather
with Me scatters).
We can’t help marveling at the faith
of the Magi. They braved the perils of
a long, long journey in winter and through deserts to find the Infant Saviour. The question arises, whence their knowledge
of the Redeemer in the first place, and whence their faith?
It seems certain that their
knowledge of Him was derived from that gained by their forebears at the time
the Israelites were living in captivity among the Persians. True, the news, rumors and gossip circulated
by the trading caravans must have brought to their ears some information
concerning the Jewish people, a people who differed so widely from their fellow
Semitic neighbors. But it would have
taken personal contact with the Israelites to make a profound impression upon
the ancestors of the Magi.
Because they adhered so tenaciously
to their religious beliefs and practices in the face of persecution, the
captive Israelites must have attracted widespread attention among the
Persians. To men of integrity,
uprightness and good will, the transcendent quality and the sanctity of the
Jewish Religion must have been clearly evident. The good example set by the Children of Israel must have been the
meritorious cause and the occasion that opened the minds and hearts of some of
their captors to the inspiration of Divine Grace and obtained for them a firm
faith in the divinely appointed Redeemer-to-be. And probably in virtue of that faith, God revealed to some holy
man among them that He would announce the birth of the Saviour by a star. But whatever the source, the revelation was
guarded reverently, and handed down from generation to generation. When the star finally appeared, it found a
ready response in the hearts of the Magi.
From this story we can learn how it
comes about that many a non-Catholic undertakes a long and perilous journey
through spiritual winters and deserts in order to find Christ and, at His feet,
surrender his entire being in homage and adoration. This story also gives us an example of what God desires of us who
live among those not of our Faith.
He wants us to give luminous good
example that will make the hearts of men of good will susceptible to the gentle
urgings of Divine Grace. If we all were
true to our Faith, if we all lived in a manner perfectly consistent with our
beliefs, the number of men and women who would come to be convinced of the
sanctity of the Catholic Faith and the truth of her claims would be legion.
By adhering manfully to the
Christian Catholic heritage that is ours in spite of persecution on all levels,
political, social, economic, we would posit the meritorious cause and occasion
whereby Almighty God could penetrate the hearts and minds of men with His
actual graces and thus initiate the process of conversion.
So it is that every day the mystery
of the Epiphany ought to be renewed and relived. Our lives and loves ought to be sure as to make it lucidly clear
to all men of integrity and uprightness that our way of life is the only way to
save the world and bring it peace. Our
lives ought to be transparent: devoid
of anything that might obscure or disfigure the image of Jesus Christ impressed
upon our souls by Sanctifying Grace.
* * * *
At this time, too, we ought to pause
and reflect how it is that a child reveals the extent of God’s love for us and
the nature of His presence among us.
When we think about it, there is much in a child that reminds us of God.
God’s love has gone to such lengths
that He has subjected Himself to us, to our caprice. We are not surprised if one human so loves another that he
surrenders his destiny into the other’s hands.
Yet he is only doing what God has done first, for in giving us the gift
of free will He has made Himself dependent upon us and has given us power over
His plans.
God’s plan includes giving us a
share in His eternal happiness. It
includes uniting all men into a ‘kingdom’ ruled by charity, justice and equity,
such that peace and happiness would abound.
Part of God’s plan is to bring the life of Sanctifying grace to full
maturity in the soul of every human being such that it is transformed into the
likeness of His Son. In giving us free
will, however, God has surrendered the blueprints into our hands. We can either make His plans a reality or we
can destroy them. We have the same
power over God that we have over helpless children, i.e., of His destiny among
men.
It is true, then, that we can
contemplate God in a child. A child is
lovable in itself, i.e., apart from the fact that some day it will return our
love and be of service to us. It is
this that makes it rule over us. A
child brings out the best in us. Love
for a child casts out self-seeking. In
order to do what is best for a child we readily reorganize our lives and bring
our minds and hearts to bear on those things that are of utmost concern to a
child’s welfare. When we ask ourselves
why we do it, the only answer forthcoming is, “Why, the child deserves it.”
So it is with God. Though free will puts Him at our mercy
(while we live on earth), His lovableness inspires us to serve His interests
wholeheartedly, even though the prospect of a reward is remote. It is His goodness that moves us to forget
self, to reorganize our lives and to apply mind and heart to those things that
pertain to His Will. When we ask
ourselves why we do so we are forced to shrug our shoulders and admit of no
other reason than that He deserves it.
Let us be convinced, then, that our
attitude toward God can be gauged by our attitude toward children. It is particularly in entrusting children to
us that He entrusts to us His Son. If
we strive earnestly to bring to maturity in a child the life of Divine Grace,
then we have conformed ourselves to the Will of God. Like Mary and Joseph we shall have entered into the Redemptive
and salvific plan of God for the entire world.
* * * *
From the 18th to the 25th
of January, the Church celebrates the Chair of Unity Octave. We encourage you to make this a time of
prayer and sacrifice to obtain the return of all men to the See of Peter. This is an excellent way to cooperate in the
preparations for the Ecumenical Council scheduled to begin in late 1962.
* * * *
Since we have talked too much already, we had better
close now. We promise, though, that we
will say something about the Scapular devotion in the next issue. God bless you all.
Cordially
yours in Our Lady,
Father
Bruno, OCD, Prior
[With
permission of Religious
and
Ecclesiastical Superiors]
* *
* *
Note
to the reader: This newsletter was written in the 60’s and
Waverly Novitiate no longer exists, however, the Carmelites are always in
need of funds to carry out their work. If
anyone wishes to contribute to the cause of the Discalced Carmelite Friars,
please send your donations to: In appreciation
for Fr. Bruno's Works, Mission Procurator, P.O. Box 270136, Hartford, WI
53027.