by Pope Benedict XVI

Let’s say you like a clean house, arguing that “environment builds morale” and “cleanliness is next to godliness.” This all sounds great. And if this indeed is the case, then we’ll see you putting some time and energy into cleaning the house. But if you aren’t putting any time and effort into cleaning the house, then you might say that it’s a high value all you want, but we will know better. It’s a simple equation — we put time and energy into the things we value and we neglect the things we don’t.

This is what makes Carmelite prayer distinctive. It’s not the prayer itself; in fact, there is no ‘method’ for Carmelite prayer. It is all about the time and energy that is actually put into prayer.

During the canonization of Saint Nuno Alvares (April, 2009) Pope Benedict said, “Carmel teaches the Church how to pray.” That’s what Carmel has always been about: prayer. And that’s what being a Carmelite – whether friar, nun, or Lay Carmelite – is all about: prayer. It’s not method; it’s emphasis.

That is the witness of the great Carmelite saints. When facing a “dark night of the spirit” or a “dark night of the soul,” Saint John of the Cross will tell you to keep praying. When daunted by the heavy lifting that true self-understanding entails, Saint Teresa of Avila will tell you to keep praying. When vexed by the everyday foibles of the people around you, Saint Therese of Lisieux will tell you to keep praying. Or even when facing the darkest caverns of the Nazi prison camps (or the equivalent in your life) Blessed Titus Brandsma will tell you to keep praying.

In no way should this be seen as—pardon the expression—merely putting cake frosting on manure. Rather, heavy-duty prayer (i.e., dark night prayer, deep self-knowledge prayer, or even concentration camp prayer) can show us that the manure is not manure at all and does not need any cake frosting. It is heavy-duty prayer that brings us to “put on the mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5). It is heavy-duty prayer that brings “the peace that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). It is heavy-duty prayer that brings us “to attain the very fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).

“Carmel teaches the Church how to pray.” Carmel can teach you how to pray – real prayer.