This homily was delivered by Fr. Raymond Maher, O. Carm. on April 30, 2019 in the chapel of Stella Maris Monastery on Mount Carmel to a group of his fellow pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.  The Gospel for the day was John 3:7b-15.

Sisters and brothers, so here we are on Mount Carmel, the first stop on our pilgrimage and significant to all of us for its place in the Books of Kings as the place where the prophet Elijah successfully challenged the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal to a contest of sacrifices.  I must say it is downright thrilling for me to be here, as this is where the Carmelites began.  The origins of the Order are somewhat obscure, but we know that in the Middle Ages (and perhaps, earlier) hermits had gathered on Mount Carmel (which means “God’s Garden” in Hebrew), dwelling in caves in the Wadi ‘ain es-Siah, near the Fountain of Elijah.  They were probably Europeans who had come to the Holy Land on pilgrimage or to fight in the Crusades and had decided to stay and pursue a life of prayer in the land where Jesus had walked.  It is very likely that most were laymen.  In time they realized that they needed some structure to their life, so they asked the local patriarch, later known as Saint Albert of Jerusalem, to give them some guidelines for their communal solitary life.  Some time between the years 1206 and 1214 Albert composed a Formula of Life for the hermits.  This Formula Vitae was fairly simple, exhorting them to “live a life in allegiance to Jesus Christ (in obsequio Jesu Christi), serving Him zealously with a pure heart and a stout conscience.” Other organizational issues were addressed as well.  This document morphed into The Rule of Saint Albert after we became an official religious order some forty years later.  The Carmelites also claimed Elijah as the founder of the Order!  How and why that happened is a long story, but the prophetic spirit of Elijah, along with the model discipleship of the Virgin Mary, has been an inspiration for Carmelites for over eight hundred years. 

The first words that we hear out of the mouth of Elijah in the First Book of Kings (17:1) are spoken to the wicked King Ahab, who had forsaken the One True God for the worship of the Baals, false gods:  “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”  Taking a cue from Elijah’s self-introduction, Carmelites view our spirituality as a matter of standing in the presence of the living God with an open heart, attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, with a good conscience.  That is Carmelite life in a nutshell, if you wish, and, of course, it is enfleshed in many different ways.  The early Carmelites considered John the Baptist a Carmelite (at least, in spirit), and a fourteenth century Carmelite document called The Book of the First Monks makes mention of Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to Mount Carmel for picnics when He was a child!

I wonder then whether we could not consider Nicodemus in today’s Gospel as a Carmelite in process as well.  As a “leader of the Jews,” he stands in the presence of the living Son of God seeking enlightenment with a sincere heart. He does not understand what Jesus says about being “born of the Spirit,” so he asks for clarification. His attitude is one of humility and openness.  He comes to Jesus at night.  This is usually understood as caution on Nicodemus’ part, so as not to be seen by anyone, especially other Pharisees, as he approached Jesus.  But the phrase “at night” may also connote spiritual unrest and a longing for “the light of all people,” as John refers to Jesus in the prologue to his Gospel (1:4).  Carmelites are said to have a special affinity for the night.  You know the joke:  “How many Carmelites does it take to change a light bulb?”  The answer: “Oh, those Carmelites, they don’t even bother to change the light bulb; they love “the dark night!” In the dark night of the Carmelite mystics, the Lord invites the soul into deeper relationship with Him.  Maybe something like that may be said of Nicodemus in today’s Gospel. In the end, we don’t know how zealously Nicodemus served Jesus Christ in the days after this nighttime visit, but later we find him bringing the myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial (John 19:39).  His final gesture in John’s Gospel is one of reverence for the body of Christ. 

Jesus talks to Nicodemus about “being born of water and the Spirit,” a clear reference to Baptism. Indeed, each of us has been “born from above” in the sacrament of Baptism.  But we know that in the spiritual journey Baptism is the easy step.  (Most of us were literally carried to the waters of Baptism as infants!) It is the days and years after Baptism that require focus and commitment and on-going repentance, as we submit our stubborn hearts and wills over and over to the control of God’s Spirit.  At the start of this pilgrimage we, no doubt, seek many blessings for ourselves and for others.  Perhaps the first prayer each one of us offers might be for the grace of repentance – a change of heart, a fresh start – just as Nicodemus came to Jesus seeking a change from his pharisaical ways of thinking and behaving, and the early Carmelite hermits repented of whatever lifestyle they had left behind for the solitude of this mountain.  

Let us end with a story.  A tale circulated in the Middle Ages about a young woman who managed to be expelled from heaven! As she left, she was told that if she would bring back the gift that is most valued by God, she would be re-admitted.  She brought back drops of blood from a dying patriot. She brought back some coins that a destitute widow had given to the poor. She brought back a Bible that had been used for years by an eminent preacher.  She brought back some dust from the shoes of a missionary laboring in a remote wasteland. She brought back many similar things but was turned away repeatedly.

One day she saw a small boy playing by a fountain.  A man rode up on horseback and dismounted to take a drink. The man saw the child and suddenly remembered his boyhood innocence. Then, looking in the fountain and seeing the reflection of his hardened face, he realized what he had done with his life. Tears of repentance welled up in his eyes and began to trickle down his cheeks. The young woman took one of these tears back to heaven and was received with joy and love!

On May 21, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life established the new Federation "Nuestra Señora del Carmen" which includes the Spanish-speaking monasteries of the American continent. They are the seven autonomous monasteries: Trujillo Alto and Mayagüez (Puerto Rico), Santiago de los Caballeros, La Vega, Santo Domingo and Monción (Dominican Republic), Camaná (Peru) and Porlamar (Venezuela). The foundations of Barinas (Venezuela) and Azua (Dominican Republic) are associated with these. The same Congregation also approved the Statutes and appointed the first Assistant: Fr. Jorge Luis Rivera Maldonado (ACV-Antilles). This federation joins the five already existing: three in Spain, one in the Philippines and one in Italy.

From May 21 to 29, at the Carmelite Centre in Sassone in Italy, the second assembly of the Federal Presidents and representatives of the non-federated monasteries of the Carmelite Order took place together with the Commission for the updating of the Constitutions of the Carmelite Nuns. Some provincial assistants and delegates also attended the meeting. The first three days were dedicated to the presentation of the documents, Vultum Dei Quaerere and Cor Orans, linking them to the tradition and spirituality of Carmel. After the initial report of the General Delegate, Fr. Mario Alfarano, who led the whole meeting, there were some introductory communications regarding, the updating of the Constitutions of the friars (Fr. Michael Farrugia, Procurator General), the experience of the Dominican friars and Dominican nuns (Sr. Claudia Benigno, OP), and the history of the Constitutions of the Carmelite nuns (Vera Frantellizzi). Archbishop Filippo Iannone and Fr. Rafal Wilkowski, OCD, gave their input on the first three parts of Cor Orans, and that was followed by some items of communication relating to a number of concrete themes: the federal leader (Sr. M. Sagrario Lorite, VAL), the foundations ( Sr. M. Clare Kasichana, MUT), the suppressions (Sr. M. Dolores Dominguez, COR) and the affiliation of monasteries (Sr. Miriam Tamiano, CER), the enclosure (Sr. Lourdes Aviles) and the media (Sr. Marianna Caprio, VET). The theme of formation was treated in relation to the formator (Sr. Madonna Morales, WAH), the ongoing formation of a community (Sr. Carmen Izquierdo, BAR) and leadership in a federation (Sr. M. Elena Tolentino, BUR).

On May 25, all 35 participants went on pilgrimage to the places associated with St. Mary Magdalene de 'Pazzi in Florence. The Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán, led the celebration of the Eucharist in the monastery of the Saint. For lunch, all were guests of the community (the friars and families) of the Carmine in Florence. The last three days were devoted entirely to the work of the Commission on the Constitutions.

The Carmelite Order has experienced two moments of celebration in Germany relating to the two contemplative female communities present in the Province. On May 10th, an extension of the community of the Carmelite Hermits of Chester, USA, was inaugurated in Seligenthal, near Cologne, formed by two hermits: Sr. M. Antonia Sondermann and Sr. M. Magdalena Höppener. The celebration, led by Dominikus Schwaderlapp, the auxiliary bishop of Cologne, in the church of the hermitage, was attended by the Provincial of Germany, Fr. Peter Schröder, a number of Carmelite friars and nuns, Discalced Carmelites, and numerous other priests and religious.

Then, on June 2nd, in the monastery of Erlangen, a Mass of welcome was celebrated for five Filipino nuns, Sr. M. Barbara, Sr. M. Florencia, Sr. M. Resurrection, Sr. M. Violeta and Sr. M. Jonally, all from the monastery of Burgos. The German monastery, the last of the Province, remained with only one nun, Sr. Thoma, and therefore was affiliated to the monastery of the Philippines which strengthened this community allowing the Carmelite nuns to continue to be present, with their vocation and mission, in Germany. The Provincial, Fr. Peter Schröder, and numerous priests and faithful took part in the celebration, led by Ludwig Schick, the Archbishop of Bamberg.

In the city of Vung Tau, in Vietnam, near the diocesan shrine dedicated to the Mother of God, a group of six consecrated women, who followed the Rule and spirituality of Carmel came together. They asked to become members of the Carmelite Order as nuns and went, in 2013, to the monastery of Burgos, in the Philippines, to receive formation. On May 1, in Vung Tau, four of them, Sr. M. Andrew, Sr Rose Mary, Sr. M. Therese, Sr. M. Angel made their solemn profession in the hands of Sr. M. Elena Tolentino, Prioress of Burgos, while two others are completing their formation in the Philippines. Together with the four Vietnamese, Sr. Leonora, a Filipina, joined in initiating this new foundation. The solemn profession took place in a great festive atmosphere. The celebration was led by the Bishop of Vung Tau, accompanied by the General Delegate, Fr. Mario Alfarano, by the Provincial of New York, Fr. Mario Esposito, the Provincial Commissary of Vietnam, Fr. Hung Tran, and numerous Carmelite, diocesan and religious priests. The Carmelite students led the singing in the liturgy. The participants included nuns from Burgos, numerous local religious and many faithful.



 

Evangelization – Priests

That priests, through the modesty and humility of their lives, commit themselves actively to a solidarity with those who are the most poor.

The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, was held 20 May 2019. The following were elected:

• Prioress: Sr. Grecia del Carmen Abreu Báez, O.Carm.


• 1st Councilor: Sr. María del Carmen García Collado, O.Carm.


• 2nd Councilor: Sr. Silveria María García Durán, O.Carm.


• 3rd Councilor: Sr. M. Ramona Ramos Hernández, O.Carm.


• 4th Couniclor: Sr. M. Concepción Solano Ureña, O.Carm.


• Director of Novices: Sr. Silveria María García Durán, O.Carm.


• Treasurer: Sr. M. Nieves Tavárez Tavárez, O.Carm.

In cooperation with the German Carmelite Institute (Forschungsinstitut der Deutschen Provinz der Karmeliten) the 5th Bi-Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Philosophy of Edith Stein (IASPES) will take place at the University of Cologne, Germany, August 15-17, 2019.

The subject is "Edith Stein's Itinerary: Phenomenology, Christian Philosophy, and Carmelite Spirituality". There will be 60 papers given by international researchers in four languages (German, English, French, and Spanish) and two keynotes from Prof. Dr. phil. Dr. phil. h. c. Andreas Speer, University of Cologne, and Sister Prof. Dr. Anneliese Meis Wörmer SSpS, Pontificial University of Santiago de Chile / Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago de Chile.

The congress program includes i. a. a visit of the Edith-Stein-Archives in the Cologne Convent of the Carmelite Sisters (o.c.d) and possibilities to visit special places of memory of Edith Stein in Cologne.

For further information please contact: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

The General Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation met for its last session of the sessennium from 6-11 May 2019. Since its composition in 2014 it has been seized with the task of promoting the formation, development and animation of JPIC structures in the whole Carmelite Family. Over the course of the past five years the General Commission has been working towards the publication of a Carmelite JPIC Handbook. At the end of our latest meeting we presented the Prior General, Fr Fernando Millan Romeral, O.Carm., with a copy of the handbook entitled "From Contemplation to Action: Handbook for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in the Carmelite Tradition". The document acknowledges that there has always existed in Carmelite consciousness the desire to be of service to God and one’s neighbour in diverse ministries of prayer, pastoral care, education and advocacy. During the July 2017 Carmelite JPIC International Congress at Fatima, participants expressed the desire to have a handbook to help those appointed to JPIC ministries by providing information on the foundations, nature and methodology of Carmelite JPIC ministries.

Appreciation and gratitude go to all the members of the Commission who were drawn from various branches of the Carmelite Family – friars, consecrated religious sisters and a lay woman. The members of the Commission are: Frs Conrad Mutizamhepo, O.Carm (Praeses), Hariawan Franciscus Adji, O.Carm. (Indo), Eduardo Agosta Scarel, O.Carm. (ACV), Mark Zittle, O.Carm. (SEL), Jane Remson, COLMC, Annah Theresa Nyadombo, HLMC, and Ester Martin Lozano (Karit). Fr Florent Dundji Dhenyi, O.Carm. (Ita-Con) (RIP) was a member of the Commission but died in the DR Congo on 6th June 2017.

Click here for the Lectio Divina of the Ascension of the Lord (c)

The Glory of the Son: That all may be One

John, 17:20-26

1) OPENING PRAYER

Lord Jesus send your Spirit to help us interpret the scriptures with the same insight with which you interpreted them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. Through the light of God’s written word, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the overwhelming events of your condemnation and death. Thus, the Cross, which seemed to be the end of all hope, appeared to them as the source of life and  resurrection.

Create in us a silence, so that we can listen to your voice in creation, scripture, daily events and in persons especially those who are poor and suffering. May your Word guide us, so that we, like the Disciples of Emmaus, may experience the strength of your resurrection and witness it to others. We ask this of you, Jesus, Son of Mary, who revealed the Father to us and sent us the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2) LECTIO: THE READING

a) A Key to the Reading

This gospel passage concerns all who have come believe in Jesus. Jesus prays that all may be one. The unique model for such a union is the intimate bond which exists between the Father and the Son. The unity among Christians testifies to the world that Jesus is the one sent by the Father.

b)  A division of the text to facilitate our reading

Jn 17: 20 – 23: The prayer of Jesus about His own mission.

Jn 17: 24 – 26: The prayer of Jesus that the love of the Father be in the disciples.

c) The Text - John 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: "I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them."

3) A MOMENT OF SILENT PRAYER

So that the Word of God can penetrate our hearts and enlighten our lives.

4) SOME QUESTIONS

To assist our meditation and prayer.

During the reading of this Gospel passage, what impression of Jesus did you formulate?

Did you experience Jesus’ immense desire for unity and love?

Bishop Don Pedro Casaldáliga once said “the Trinity is truly the best community.” In your community, can you see any sign of the Trinity?

Ecumenism: What does it mean? Am I interested in ecumenism? 

Love: What type of love does the world propose? Is it compatible with the love taught by Christ?

5) FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO GO DEEPER INTO THE TEXT

a) The Context

Today’s Gospel gives us the third and last part of the Priestly Prayer, in which Jesus looks toward the future and manifests His great desire for unity among us, His disciples, and that all may remain in the love which unifies, because without love and without unity we do not deserve credibility.

          b) A commentary on the text

 John 17:20-23: The prayer of Jesus about His own Mission: So that the world may believe it was You who sent Me.

Looking into the horizon, Jesus prays to the Father: “I pray not only for these but also for those who through their teaching will come to believe in Me. May they all be one, just as, Father, You are in Me and I am in You, so that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe it was You who sent Me.” Here, Jesus displays His concern for unity which should exist in the communities. Unity does not mean uniformity, but rather to remain in love in spite of tension and conflict. Such love reflects the profound unity which exists between Jesus and the Father. The unity in love revealed in the Trinity is the model for all communities. By loving one another, communities reveal to the world the profound message of Jesus. People said of the first Christians “see how they love one another!” The present day division among Jews, Christians and Moslems, all of whom came from Abraham, is truly tragic. Even more tragic is the division among us Christians who claim to believe in Jesus. If we are divided, we have no credibility. Ecumenism is at the center of Jesus’ farewell prayer to the Father. It is His testament. To be a Christian and not be ecumenical is a contradiction. We are violating the final wish of Jesus.

John 17:24-26: The prayer of Jesus that the love of the Father be in the disciples: “So that the love with which You loved Me may be in them.”

Jesus does not want to remain alone. He says “Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am so that they may always see My glory, which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” Jesus is happy when we are all together with Him. He wants His disciples to have the same experience of the Father which He enjoyed. He wants us to know the Father and be known by Him. In the Bible, knowledge of God is not merely rational and theoretical but an experience of the living God who loves His people.

          c) Further Information

That they may be one as We are one. (Unity and Trinity in the Gospel of John)

The Gospel of John helps us to understand the mystery of the Trinity, the communion of Father, Son and Spirit. Of the four Gospels, John stresses the profound unity that exists among the Father, Son and Spirit. From the text, we see that the mission of the Son is the supreme manifestation of the love of the Father (Jn 17: 6-8). This unity between the Father and the Son makes Jesus exclaim “the Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30). Between Son and Father, there is such unity that one who sees the face of one sees the face of the other.  Fulfilling this mission of unity, Jesus reveals the Spirit. The spirit of Truth comes from the Father (Jn 15:26). At the bidding of the Son (Jn 14:16), the Father sends the Spirit to each one of us in such a way that He will remain with us, encouraging us and giving us strength. The Spirit also comes to us from the Son (Jn 16:7-8). Thus, the Spirit of Truth, who journeys with us, is the communication of the profound unity which exists between the Father and the Son (Jn 15:26-27). The Spirit cannot communicate a truth which is different from the truth of the Son. Everything which is in relationship with the mystery of the Son, the Spirit makes known to us (Jn 16:13-14). This experience of unity in God was very strong in the communities of the Beloved Disciple. The love which unites the Divine Persons allows us to experience God through union with people in a community of love. This was also the experience of the first communities in which love was a sign of God’s presence in their midst (Jn 13:34-35). This love builds unity in the community (Jn 17:21). They looked at the unity in God in order to understand the unity among themselves.

6. PRAYER (Psalm 8)

O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the world!

Whoever keeps singing of your majesty higher than the heavens,

Even through the mouths of children, or of babes in arms,

you make him a fortress,

firm against your foes, to subdue the enemy and the rebel.

I look up at your heavens, shaped by your fingers,

at the moon and the stars you set firm.

What are human beings that you spare a thought for them,

or the child of Adam that you care for him?

Yet you have made him little less than a god,

you have crowned him with glory and beauty,

made him lord of the works of your hands,

put all things under his feet,

sheep and cattle, all of them, and even the wild beasts,

birds in the sky, fish in the sea, when he makes his way across the ocean.

Yahweh our Lord,

how majestic your name throughout the world!

7. FINAL PRAYER

Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your word which has helped us better understand the will of the Father. Grant that your Spirit enlightens our actions and gives us the strength to carry out what Your word has made us see. Grant that we, like Mary Your Mother, can, not only listen to, but also put Your Word into practice. You who live and reign together with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.