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. 9 August 1962
Dear
Friends of Carmel,
Every so often one of those maxims
we whisper to ourselves when trying to adjust to the slings and crutches of
outrageous fortune comes true. One we
use rather frequently, especially when overwhelmed by the thought of how much
remains to be done here, states reassuringly:
“All good things come to him who waits” (Waiters, let this be our tip to
you).
Its truth has been verified for us in the way of a
‘population explosion’. In early August
thirteen candidates for membership in the Order arrived, exactly doubling the
inhabitants of the monastery. Eight of
the young men constitute the new class of cleric Novices. The other five are lay-brother
postulants. We have every reason to
believe that a new day is dawning for us.
For this we give thanks publicly to Mother Aloysius, whom we had asked
to send us a good-size class. She has
not failed us.
Though we don’t want this issue of OUTLOOK to
discourage the readers more than usual, by giving it the appearance of the Book
of Numbers of the Old Testament, we do want you to know the names, new and old,
of this promising group of candidates.
The cleric Novices are: Brother
Germain of Jesus, Brother Edwin of Our Lady of Sorrows, Brother Joel of Our
Lady, Mediatrix of all Graces, Brother Augustine of the Most Sorrowful Mother,
Brother Marcellus of the Mother of God, Brother Anthony of the Cross, Brother
Bartholomew of the Holy Ghost, and Brother David of Jesus and Mary.
The
foregoing are called ‘clerics’ because one day they will be members of the
clergy; they will go on for the Priesthood, in other words. Their Novitiate, that is, their period of
initial training in all those things that pertain to the Carmelite Order, will
last one year. Then they will make
profession of Simple (temporary) Vows, and be sent to other monasteries of the
Province for further studies.
The other five are called Postulants because their
official status is that of ‘asking’ for the habit of a Novice. For them, Postulancy lasts six months, and
though they do receive Carmelite training right from the start, their Novitiate
proper does not begin until they receive the habit, and it runs for two
years. At the completion of their
novice training the lay brothers also make profession of temporary vows. These last for three years. During this time they continue in training,
though not as intensely as before, and finally, five and one-half years after
entrance, provided they wish to remain and are approved by the superiors of the
province, they make their profession of Solemn (perpetual) Vows. From this point onward they are full-fledged
members of the Order.
The vocation of the lay-brotherhood is distinct,
obviously from that of a cleric, since the former do not go on to the
priesthood. That they do not is of
their own choosing, but they are nevertheless the equals of the clerics in all
things with one exception, namely, they do not receive Holy Orders. St. Joseph is the model and exemplar of the
lay brothers, since the role of the lay brother in the Order is analogous to
that of St. Joseph in the Holy Family.
Lay brothers come to Carmel to strive for sanctity as the clerics, and
they possess the same means of attaining it.
In Carmel, the vocation of a lay brother is in no way considered
inferior. It is a vocation in itself as
we have said, and in many respects requires greater heroism and a greater
spirit of sacrifice than the vocation to the Priesthood. We are all very proud of our lay brothers
and hold them in the highest esteem.
At any rate, these are the lay brother
postulants: Brother Thomas of the
Mother of Mercy, Brother Gordon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Brother Bruce of
St. Joseph, Brother Sebastian of the Immaculate Conception and Brother
John-Mary of the Sacred Heart.
Naturally, we are delighted to have such a large
group of strong, strapping men. Added
to the previous number (nine) they constitute a formidable work force. Father Martin (the smiling Novice-Master)
has been going around with a glint of expectation in his eye. We can almost hear the tumblers of his brain
clicking merrily away as he thinks up new, better and more ambitious
projects. We all look forward to the
accomplishment of great things. Why,
already we have gotten rid of our ‘stained-glass’ windows. We can see daylight (no joke intended) for
the first time since we arrived.
We are especially grateful for Brother Sebastian,
who is a licensed barber. More than a
dozen heads, including my own, already bespeak fitting tribute of his tonsorial
talents. He is adept not only with comb
and clippers, but also with a straight-edge razor (Father Master, treat him nice!),
which he uses with great skill in shaving us around the ears and on the back of
the neck. What a pleasant sight it is
for those of us who kneel in the back of the choir to look down the rows of
brothers on both sides and see so many well-groomed heads. Though we are called many times on the
envelopes of our incoming mail (i.g. Di-calced, Di-scaled, Dis-calloused
Carmelite Fathers – the hyphenation is mine, and I am not prepared at this time
to discuss the relative merits of these appellations), one thing is
certain. As long as Brother Sebastian
is with us (please God he perseveres), we won’t deserve to be called Di-scalped
Carmelites.
* * * * * *
Alas, in my enthusiasm about the new class I am
forgetting to call your attention to our newly professed, whose photograph may
be seen on the picture-page. The one in
the center is Brother Warren of Our Lady of Lourdes, a lay brother, who made
profession of Simple Vows on August 2nd. The other two are Brother Linus of the Cross and Brother Alfred of
the Cross. Both are clerics. In September, Brother Linus will go to our
monastery at Holy Hill to study Philosophy, while Brother Alfred, who has
already finished the necessary studies in Philosophy will go to our College of
Theology in Washington, D.C. Though we
are very happy that they are starting on their journey to the Priesthood, we
are sorry to see them go. Not only are
they very fine religious and extremely likeable, they also possess an enormous
capacity for (you guessed it) hard work.
May Our Lord and Our Lady prosper them.
* * * * * *
We are happy to report that the room originally
built to serve as the refectory (dining room) has been converted finally into a
chapel, two weeks behind schedule, but fortunately, just in time for the new
class. We moved into it the day before
they arrived. It holds all 26 very
nicely, with room to squeeze in a few more.
Now we are getting another room ready to serve as
the refectory. Our choice fell upon the
‘glass house’, a room two thirds of which juts out into the backyard and is
enclosed by panels of glass extending from floor to ceiling. The flagstone floor was finished by August
10th, and by 20th some of the new clerics Novices
finished painting it. When we move into
it we will have to watch our manners, for we will be in full view of the
curiosity seekers who occasionally drive up to look around. In the meantime we are taking our meals (in
case you were wondering) in the room that formerly was the chapel.
* * * * * *
We still have our setbacks, nevertheless. On August 14th our long desired,
long awaited screens arrived. Two days
later, when we went to install them, we discovered they were all the wrong
size. It’s maddening! How we had looked forward to the time they
would be in place. For one thing, it
would enable us to keep our windows open on hot nights while slaving (I’m
prejudiced) over the shambles we call our desk. If we were to open them, we would let the clouds of ugly,
hairy-looking moths of sundry sizes that are attracted by our desk lamp, not to
speak of the squadrons of other bugs, beetles and similarly repulsive flying
insects. What distressed us most,
however, is that we will have to continue sharing our kitchen and dining room
with scores of uninvited, most unwelcome guests, the flies. Judging from the length of time it took for
this shipment to arrive, it will be mid-winter before we get the right-sized
screens.
But we can console ourselves on one count, namely,
that the view from our cell windows will not be obscured as yet. Screening does, in fact, reduce
visibility. Many times I have strained
my eyesight looking through a window screen.
All of which goes to prove the truth of another maxim that comes in
handy around here: “What you make on
the onions you lose on the bananas”.
* * * * * *
In last month’s OUTLOOK, we told you of the
memorable visit of the Indian Chief and his wife. From the very cordial letter that accompanied the photograph of
Father Redemptus and myself (we have included it in the picture page) we
discovered that we erred in reporting his name. It is Chief Lightfoot Talking Eagle, not Lightning Eagle as we
had said. Perhaps his name explains why
he is such an engaging conversationalist.
The way he saluted us in the letter gave us great delight. He opened with “Father Bruno, my
brother”. I wonder if this has anything
to do with the fact that many, many times, when I was a youngster, my mother
used to call me—with a certain amount of displeasure in her voice—“You
Indian”). We hope he will be able
to accept our invitation to attend the blessing of the Monastery by Our Most
Reverend Bishop, James E. Kearney, D.D., which will take place on September 8th.
* * * * * *
The past several weeks have been so hectic that we
were not able to start composing this issue of OUTLOOK until August 16th. We usually start about the 6th or
7th of the month. This
explains why it is so late, (Did I hear somebody murmur, Better never than
late?). For this reason we are
singularly grateful for the charming letter we received from Mrs. William
Taylor, the mother of Father Gerard, O.C.D., who is the featured Carmelite this
month. It makes our work that much
easier. I had written to her asking for
a photograph of Father and also for some information about his early life. Although she is not well, presently
recuperating from painful surgery, she wrote back promptly and so beautifully
that we decided to use her very own words.
I’m convinced it would be impossible for anyone to improve upon her
telling of these facts. With the
exception of a few sentences that have no bearing on the subject, we quote her
letter verbatim. The explanations in
parentheses are mine.
“Dear
Father Bruno,
It was indeed a pleasant surprise to
hear from you, as you must know I love all Carmelites, having a son in the
First Order and myself a Third Order Carmelite. Would you like to know how this all came about, God’s wonderful
plans?
Our first born was a delicate little
baby of only five and one-half pounds at birth, a ‘preemie’ and my good mother
told me to give him back to God, to which I resigned myself. But the Little Flower, St. Therese,
interceded on his behalf and after pinning on him a petal of a blessed rose
given me by a dear friend who was attending one of the first novenas in her
honor, and though he was in a sort of convulsion at the time, it turned out to
be his last one and he became stronger and finally a beautiful, well baby
growing in grace. He attended our Parish
school, St. Cecilia’s Fox Chase, Pennsylvania, and because of the smallness of
the parish became an altar boy in 3rd grade, learning his Latin
better than he did his English. He
served early Mass more often than the other boys and walked at least a mile and
a half in those early hours, always on time.
So when he finished 8th
grade and said he wanted to become a priest, the family didn’t seem too
surprised. But as we had the Marist
Fathers helping out each Sunday at St. Cecilia that’s where he entered, St.
Mary’s Manor, Longhorne, Pennsylvania, where he stayed two years. When he came home for summer vacation he met
another Seminarian at Holy Mass each morning, Buddy Griffin, now Father
Michael, O.C.D. They became close
friends and on our sons’ second summer home he told me he wanted to be a Carmelite
Father. This was indeed a shock as I
thought he was happy at the Manor, but he informed me he wanted a monastic life
and wanted us to have every blessing.
This we have had, even being blessed by another child after fourteen and
a half years. Anne Marie, now Sister
Carmelita Mary, I.H.M. (Immaculate Heart of Mary) was born his first year at
Holy Hill (i.e.
Father’s first year in our Minor Seminary).
So you see, Father, after 16 years the Little Flower did claim him for
her Order and everything has fallen into place. You know the rest. He
received Holy Orders in the Chapel in D.C. at Christmas, or two weeks before
Christmas, 1949, and since then has been Superior at Washington, D.C., a year
after ordination, studied at the University for a degree in Canon Law, which he
taught until permission from Father Thomas to be a Chaplain in the Unite States
Navy where he stayed five years, touching many ports and the Mediterranean
twice, where he is right now, having re-entered the Navy after being Pastor at
St. Florian’s (A Parish in Milwaukee, Wisconsin entrusted to the Order in
1912) for almost two years.
I am enclosing a picture of Father
and his sister taken the day she was received and also her Carmelite name; had
her first feast day in the Order and was overjoyed. Pray for her perseverance.
Father, would you send the picture back to me? These two children are double related; he is also her
Godfather. She said her vocation was
handed her on a silver platter. Do I
sound like a bragging mother? I don’t
mean to, but God has been so good to us.
I hope some day we will be worthy of his graces…
Devotedly in Carmel,
(Signed) Anne Taylor”
To this we need add only a few minor
details. Father Gerard of the Holy
Family (William Taylor) was born on October 12, 1923 and made his novitiate at
Holy Hill, Wisconsin, and Brookline, Massachusetts. (Father Gerald is a classmate of Father Timothy’s). He studied philosophy at Holy Hill and
Theology at Washington, D.C. The exact
date of his ordination is December 14, 1949.
At the present time he is a Lieutenant Commander on active duty as
Catholic Chaplain aboard the Carrier Randolph.
Mrs. Taylor’s pride in her son is
well founded, for he is one of the finest and ablest members of the Province. Father Gerard has always been outstanding
for his charity toward all. Most
considerate in his dealing with others, he suffers with those who suffer, and
considers it (rightly so) a serious breach of Christian ethics to hurt
another’s feelings. We have not yet had
the pleasure of having him here with us, though he is assigned to this
monastery, because he has not had any shore leave in all the nine months we
have been here. But we do think of him
frequently and fondly, especially when we receive a substantial ‘cut’ of his
monthly paycheck. With sentiments of
Carmelite-family pride, we take great pleasure in saluting (no joke intended)
Lt. Commander Gerard Taylor, O.C.D., Chaplain, USNR.
* * * * * * *
“Lord, show us thy Face and we
shall be saved”.
The foregoing quotation first made a
vivid impression upon us at the Carmelite Monastery of Nuns at Elysburg,
Pennsylvania, where it is used as part of the weekly devotions in honor of St.
Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. (The Little Flower). Then
just recently we noticed it occurs in the Carmelite Ritual as part of a series
of Versicles and responses, which introduce the blessing of the habit in the
ceremonies of Clothing and Profession.
It has been on our minds for some time, now, and seems to be an ideal
way to introduce an instruction on contemplation. Because this month marks the 400th anniversary of the
beginning of the Carmelite Reform (Restoration would be a better word), we have
decided to make it the point of departure for this issue’s spiritual feature.
But before we do, allow us to state
that on August 24, 1562 the great St. Teresa of Jesus (also known as – I don’t
dare say ‘alias’ – St. Teresa of Avila) founded the Monastery of St. Joseph’s,
Avila, Spain. Gathering around her a
handful of devoted followers, she gave herself up to the observance of the
Carmelite Rule (which embodies a sublime contemplative spirit and ideal) in all
its original rigor. Since then St.
Teresa’s name has been inseparably linked with the term ‘contemplation’. It turned out to be God’s providential
design that St. Teresa become the foundress of a new branch of the ancient
Carmelite Order. All Discalced Carmelite
Friars and Nuns refer to her proudly and lovingly as “Our Holy Mother”.
As is very often the case when
speaking of God, we fall back on anthropomorphisms, that is, we use terminology
that pertains to our human way of thinking to represent some truth concerning
Him. Clearly, God does not have a face
(or two) as we humans do. He is a pure
spirit. Because He is God, He is the
sum total of all that is good, all that is perfect. When we think of Him we can’t help but remember several of His
distinguishing attributes. The Face of
God, then, is that complex of concepts, facts and truths pertaining to God,
which presents itself to our intellect and understanding, the eyes of our soul.
It sometimes happens, in the course
of human events, that a person in authority, a king, for example, does not
grant personal interviews to all who wish to see him. In addition, it is considered a mark of special esteem, for an
ordinary person to be admitted to the presence of a high dignitary.
First and foremost, therefore, when
we ask God to show us His face, we are asking Him to admit us to his favor. We are saying we want Him to admit us to his
circle of personal friends. Undeniably,
no human being can say that He merits to receive a mark of special esteem on
the part of God. Once this favor is
granted, then, we are saved, for the Lord Himself becomes personally
responsible for our welfare. It belongs
to the essence of friendship that the parties who share it take it upon
themselves to look after the interests of one another. We are saved in the sense that God binds
Himself to exercise a special providence in our regard. He is the truest and most loyal of
friends. Because He is infinitely wise,
infinitely powerful and loves us beyond measure, our salvation is assured,
provided, of course we don’t presume upon His friendship and forget that it is
a free gift He is bestowing upon us.
What of those persons who enjoy the friendship of
God without having asked for it, those persons, namely who are cradle
Catholics, who were reborn in the water of baptism in their earliest
infancy? Is it necessary for these to
ask to see the face of God in the sense of which we are speaking? Assuredly, for we are supposed to confirm
and ratify for ourselves, once we have reached the use of our faculties, what
was asked in our name by our Godparents.
Besides, we are too well aware of our own sinfulness. We remember too clearly the many times we
have wounded Him by our sins and incurred His wrath. It is presumption, therefore to think that His providence will
work infallibly in our regard, without our cooperation. In making this request of Him, then, we rely
not upon our present status as His friend, but upon His Mercy, which is above
all His works (as the Psalmist says).
Humble confidence in His merciful love is the title by which we can
depend upon Him to stoop to the level of our baseness in order to raise us up
to Himself. Proof that we enjoy this
favor is the thorough conviction that everything that happens to us is ordained
(or permitted) by God as that which is most conducive to our eternal salvation.
But as we said, God shows us His face when he opens
our understanding to a knowledge of His being and His attributes. We may learn of Him from both the natural
and supernatural standpoint. It is
possible to seek out the face of God by investigating its manifestations in the
created universe. God shows Himself in
this way to whoever takes the trouble to look.
In fact, St, Paul tells us it is impossible for anyone not to see the
face of God in creatures. He upbraids
the pagans of his time as being guilty of deliberately disregarding the God of
Nature, whose visage is outlined in the good things of this world. He traces their moral aberrations and
excesses directly to their failure to take cognizance of Him. “For since the creation of the world his
invisible attributes are clearly seen – his everlasting power also and divinity
– being understood through the things that are made.” (Romans 1, 20)
Any and every human being is able, therefore, to meditate upon the goodness and perfections that are found in visible creation and thus discover something of the goodness and perfection of God who is their author. This is a natural way in which He shows us His face. It is best seen in those most noble of all, His creatures, namely, loving, devoted, self-sacrificing parents. Philosophers tell us that a creature is a bit of nothingness to which God had communicated some small share of His being and His good qualities. There is a science of natural theology which studies the Creator and Lord of all by investigating the attributes of creatures and predicating of Him, though in an analogous and altogether transcendent manner and to an unlimited degree, all the excellence and lovableness that is found in the universe. Further knowledge of God is discovered negatively, that is, by noting all the evils and defects that occur in the world and denying that they exist in God. After all, evil is not a ‘thing’ in the strict sense. It is the absence, the lack of a due perfection. God lacks nothing that is good, and so there is no evil in Him.
We have said that we can learn of God by means of
human reason. How then can we say that
in this respect we must ask God to show us His face? Because we cannot begin this exercise without the help and
concurrence of God. Theoretically it is
possible, but practically speaking it requires an actual grace, given by God,
to move a man to inaugurate a search for Him in nature and to sustain him in
it. Let us add, too, that this
contributes to a man’s salvation because it instills in him an awe and fear of
God, a healthy respect for His justice and His just punishments. He realizes it is a terrible thing to fall
into the hands of the living God, that is, the God of Justice, for natural
Reason cannot reveal to us God’s mercy.
In reality, it is the epitome of good fortune to fall into the hands of
the God of Mercy.
In the most perfect sense, however, God shows us His
face when He lets us get a glimpse of His mind, when He lets us share in His
own Knowledge of Himself. For there are
truths concerning Him (e.g., His mercy) that cannot be divined from a study of
nature. These are made known to us by
Revelation.
God is revealed to us in two ways. First, in concepts and notions that have
been given to us directly by the prophets, evangelists and by the oral
teachings of Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Second, in virtue of concepts and notions that are the fruit of
observation of and meditation upon the History of God’s dealing with humankind. In particular, we can learn all there is to
be known about God by observing and dwelling upon the life and example of Jesus
Christ, who is the image and splendor of the Father. Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God.
Though we learn oh! So much about God by looking at
Jesus Christ, we aren’t always successful in translating that knowledge into
clear ideas and giving them adequate verbal expression. But it is true that this vague knowledge is
of a better and more noble kind than the other because it involves knowing with
the Heart. No lover will deny that the
heart can understand better than the mind, that love has eyes of its own that
can penetrate where the intellect cannot.
So it is that we look upon the Face of God in the
highest sense when we contemplate Him as He is revealed in Holy Writ. Contemplation is not, however, the mere
reading of the sacred books. It is the
careful, prayerful perusal of them in reverence and love. Contemplation is a loving gaze at Uncreated
Truth as it is sketched for us in the pages of Sacred Scripture, and in this
exercise love holds the first place.
Again we must insist that we ought to be speaking in
the passive rather than in the active voice.
It is a gift of God that calls us to the practice of contemplation and
enables us to persevere in it. It is
Faith, a gift of God, which endows us with the faculty of seeing Him as He
really is, albeit in a dark manner, as through a veil.
Not all looking upon the Face of God in Faith is
contemplation. Only the intense and
penetrating glance of a fully developed Faith can merit this name. And so we must distinguish two ways in which
we may be saved, that which is wrought by Faith exercised to the necessary and
sufficient degree, and that which is wrought by contemplation. The latter is above the former as
contemplation is above the minimal requirement of the exercise of Faith.
“To be saved”, means to be rendered safe from a threatening evil. In this case, the evil is the devil, the
avowed and embittered enemy of our eternal salvation. He is constantly at work trying to lead us into sin and to
destroy the life of grace in our souls.
In circumstances of ordinary warfare, one way to be
safe from an adversary is to erect a secure wall of refuge, impervious to all
his weapons, behind which we take up our position. He may unleash all his fury
upon it, but to no avail. The one
protected, however does not dare get out from behind his fortification, for he
will then certainly be vanquished. This
kind of protection is excellent and it suffices, but it brings about no change
of status, no change of relative strength between the one attacking and the one
attacked. This protection remains
something external to the one protected.
Now, the best way to conquer an enemy is to become
stronger than he, such that it is easy to meet him in hand to hand combat and
vanquish him. We are safest from our
enemies when we have either destroyed them or rendered ourselves immune to
their weapons. It so happens that Faith
practiced in an ordinary degree saves one in the manner mentioned above;
contemplation saves a man by protecting him in the best way. Contemplation works such a profound change
in one’s depths that it makes him stronger than the devil.
Why is that so?
Because contemplation makes a man a saint, it makes him over into the likeness
of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; Contemplation (the life of prayer) has
always been the most efficacious means of attaining sanctity. St. Teresa calls it the royal road,
that is, the way par excellence to perfect union with God. To be transformed in Christ also implies to
share in the role and mission of Christ.
To be Christ-like means to have crucified the flesh with its
concupiscences, to have destroyed pride, the root of all evil. A man in this state is unmoved, unaffected
by the suggestion of the most wicked one.
Contemplation, which is impossible without
detachment from the love of creatures (because affection for created good
things blinds the eyes of the soul to God and the things of God), strips a man
of all those things by which the devil may lay hold on him and cast him
down. One of the great Fathers of the
Church has said that a wrestler who is naked and anointed with oil is a
slippery customer and his opponent can’t get a hold upon him. Well, by stripping ourselves of everything
which enables the devil to get a grip on us, and furthermore, by being another
Christ, i.e., God’s Anointed, we become immune to the attacks of the devil, or
at least able to elude his grasp.
We must point out that it is God who saves us in
both instances. In the first way He
throws up external means of protection:
the blood of Jesus Christ, the Mass, the Sacraments, prayer (in the
sense of earnest supplication) invested with His merits. We have all of these in virtue of ordinary
Faith, His gift. The second way He
saves us (by contemplation) is even more perfectly His gift, because it is a
protection that proceeds from within us, working in us a profound
transformation. In neither case,
however, should we dare provoke the devil to combat. No one can presume to enter the occasions of sin no matter how
far he or she is advanced in the way of perfection. To do so would be tempting God.
It would be a manifestation of pride, a refusal to admit that interior
transformation is the work of God.
Why do we assert so strongly that contemplation
changes us into the likeness of Christ, i.e., makes us saints? Because it is clearly indicated in
Scripture. St. Paul writes (2 Cor. 3, 18): “But we all beholding the glory of the
Lord with open face are transformed into the same image from glory to glory as
by the Spirit of the Lord”. St.
John, the evangelist, writing much later confirms this (1 John 3, 2): “Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of
God and it has not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we
shall see Him as He is.” So, seeing
God in the Beatific Vision will change us into His image. Well, here on earth we see him through the
veils of Faith. Faith shows us God just
as He is in Himself, and so Faith also transforms us into Him, though that
image of Him in us remains clothed in our humanity. When the view we enjoy of Him is as perfect as our human
condition allows, namely in contemplation, our soul takes on all His
characteristics and is manifested in a life of perfect virtue. Looking upon God as He appears in the person
of His Son enables us to imbibe the Spirit of God. It is this, which renews and remakes us interiorly. “Those who are moved by the Spirit of
God, the same are the sons of God.”
* * * * * * *
We wish therefore to give open
testimony of our gratitude to St. Teresa for vindicating the life of prayer and
contemplation. Thanks to her, it is now
admitted that there is no more effective way to attain sanctity than
contemplation, nor any more fruitful apostolate than that which is exercised by
contemplatives. In recent days this has
been brought home to us graphically by another Carmelite, herself named
Therese, the Saint of Lisieux. By a
happy figure of speech she describes the vocation of Carmel to be the heart
of the Church. There the
Carmelites, by a life of prayer and penance, prevail upon the Lord to keep the
streams of divine grace flowing to all the members of the Mystical Body. Carmel thus shares in all the victories won
by the leaders and administrators and all those actively participating in the
work of the Church Militant.
This doctrine of St. Teresa of Jesus
concerning contemplation comes as a consoling message to hidden souls
throughout the church who are not able to engage in active apostolic
works. There are so many faithful who
burn with a love for God that does not easily yield to the love of those
constituted in authority. Though God
makes it clear He does not call them to serve Him in religious orders, they
know He does want them to sanctify themselves and to save souls. This they can do by the practice of
contemplation, i.e., by getting into the habit of making a daily meditation and
practicing the presence of God throughout the day.
We recommend, therefore, that this
little saying, “Lord, show us Thy face and we shall be saved” be taken
as an ejaculatory prayer and used frequently throughout the day with fervor and
conviction. If God grants us the grace
to persevere in it, He will, because He is faithful, likewise crown our efforts
with the reward it promises and merits.
Cordially yours in Our Lady,
[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.