"Secular Carmelites are called to strive to make prayer penetrate their whole existence, in order to walk in the presence of the living God , through the constant exercise of faith, hope and love, in such a way that the whole of their life is a prayer, a search for union with God. The goal will be to achieve the integration of experience of God with the experience of life: to be contemplatives in prayer and the fulfillment of their own mission. - OCDS Constitutions #17
- 1 Kings 18:15
For me, ‘The Lord of Hosts Lives, before Whom I stand’ evokes a rich and powerful image of Elijah that reminds me of my call to draw close to God in prayer so that my life will become a witness to the presence of God in the world. As Michael D. Griffin, OCD, wrote in his book ‘A Commentary on the Rule of Life,’ ...
“The Secular Carmelite has been sent by God to carry on the ‘distinctive witness of Carmel in the world.’ This simply means that you are not being sent by God to talk to the world, to use words and words and words about holiness and all sorts of good pious things. Rather, you are called to be a person who stands for the contemplative way of life and the apostolic fervor or zeal that the Order represents. The world will not be impressed so much by what you say as by what you are.”
May the things we share on this website help you to, as Michael Griffin writes, “...stand in the presence of the Lord of Hosts, and to be confident that He will aid and strengthen you as you labor for the good of His Church and humanity.”
Quotes taken from A Commentary on the Rule of Life by Michael D. Griffin, OCD, Theresian Carmel Press, Hubertus, WI., copyright 1981, Discalced Carmelites Washington Province.
Blessed Virgin Mary & St Joseph Community. Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, OCDS - Concord, NH
ConcordOCDS.org
ConcordOCDS.org
No comments:
Post a Comment