Priors’ Course, Rome 2003.

Input by Desiderio Martinez, O.Carm.

The following notes were taken during the Priors’ Course which took place in Domus Carmelitane from January 29^th to February 14^th, 2003.

The Prior and Community and ongoing formation.

The convent of the Incarnation in Avila shows, in the main entrance, a chest which holds the secret treasures of the convent. There are three keys required to open it. We also need three keys to open the Ratio. They are contemplation, transformation and discernment. To explore our identity we need to study the Ratio. We wish to know what the document has to say about the local community.

In the last 50 years there has been a great breakthrough in the whole idea of genetic code. The modulation for our life can be presented through it. For us it comprises prayer, service and fraternity in the midst of the people. Anything less and we will be malformed.

Personal Transformation.

Personal Transformation in Christ is the aim of our quest. Contemplation is at the heart of our charism and is realised in us by the Spirit. Prayer may be part of it but it is not the fullness of contemplation. In our lives we are compelled by the Spirit to leave the old man behind and to open to the new by personal transformation. It’s a hard task and takes up all of our life. Take for example the image of the woman knitting. She misses a stitch and so has to unravel the whole thing again. So also God works in that manner as he wishes to create a work of art. So each time we are undone we enter a new stage in our life towards God.

Phase of Transformation.

Where does this transformation take place? It can’t just be in prayer and service so it must also include community. Each dimension of the charism has a full genetic code. It is of course love that gives value to all our work. Even if the code is present in each element of the charism it is love alone that lasts. If love allows you to see God in community then you are in contemplation. It can be seen in a variety of forms.

Electrocardiogram of the spiritual life has to do with the mixture of love and contemplation. Union with God is formed on love. It is active conversion through contemplation. Lawrence of the Resurrection in the thirteenth century tells us that he experienced God before the Blessed Sacrament and also in the kitchen. We need to be able to see God in the ordinary things of life. He saw God in prayer and service. So really our service is immaterial as long as we search for the Lord.

Fraternity sends us back to prayer and service. Service sends us back to fraternity and prayer. If I use this idea as a monitor I can see where I am in the spiritual life. Fraternity is the mirror where prayer and service are reflected. When we are at prayer we need to ask how our service is and how our fraternity is (are my hands clean?).

Discernment.

We need discernment if we want to discuss our lives in truth. This is the work of transformation. In Isaiah we see God is displeased with hands that are covered in the blood of the brother. A praying man is in relationship with his brothers. So when we look inwardly what is it that we see? If you want to know if you love God then ask your brothers. A relationship with God should make you think. When community is a priority then love is present.

Thérèse says that a bird held by a thread is no less handicapped than any other restraint. So what counts is that we are able to endure on the journey. Without pain of community there is no spiritual gain. Going into the action of prayer does not make us people of prayer. A calculation of prayer time after 25 years may be a bit embarrassing. Local community/fraternity is where a lot happens. It’s a place of development. Fraternity spurs us to adjust and correct.

Fraternity then is the mirror of our service. God leads me along to where he wishes me to be. It’s in the community that you experience the feeling of coming home. Arriving home has to do with prayer and fraternity. Contemplation along with action produces the flowers of God’s love and is enjoyed by all. Yet we need caution so as not to make our action into idols. We can produce obstacles to God. We are used to helping others. Where there is light then there is much of God, especially in community.

Silk Worm and the Butterfly: The story of the silk worm, which is older than Christian history by thousands of years, is that of how it arrived in Europe. It was hidden in the hem of a garment so small it cannot be seen and while it does no harm it forms itself into a chrysalis , dies and then produces the butterfly. From the mulberry leaf it produces the silk it weaves.

There is a connection with Ratio as there we have the idea of a hidden process that is ongoing through the desert experience until he is a new man in God. Metanoia is a change of idea or of repentance or internal surgery taking out disordered attachments.

The process.

The play of the brothers helps to undo our ambiguity. So from what then are we transformed? Ratio tells that it is a transforming process into Christ. God does not change us externally but internally. We also know that we require slow change.

Each of us has a false self and it needs to pass from not being into being. This is what happens in conversion. We seem to resist the action of God. We always seek more then we have and only God can satisfy. Some things may satisfy for a time but we will want to reach beyond that someday.

Signs of an Old Man.

Mary is the one exception who had no sin. We can refer to sin as the old man. The Bible calls the condition the ‘pox.’ All of our problems are related to this. Sin makes us feel anxious and fearful. Man resists God’s invitation to enter into him and feels that God does not love him. We then have a distorted vision of reality where all feels mediocre and flat. It’s the old man resisting, the false ego. It’s as if we want to save ourselves and yet the false thing is there. We continue to nourish the old man. Joe Chalmers has explored this deeper level within where we crave to be loved and like an infant feel that all should focus on me. We can be imprisoned all our lives to this false ego. Nothing can seemingly help us escape and we need to be fed and nourished at all times by the group.

Only in God: From birth we can use the family but find that they do not satisfy us. It should be necessary for us to know what the family thinks about us. We let the family know that they are loved. John of the Cross tells us nothing can satisfy our love for God but God. Only God can satisfy the human heart. Like the mother who gives the child a sweet instead of the knife they are holding, so also when we come to know God’s love for us which will teach us these things.

Attachments.

They can be anything: family, land, wealth, opinion. All are of course false images but we worship them. We need to break the bond or we will not experience freedom. In our hearts are images that take God’s place. Some are readily apparent but others not so.

The false self and brothers: The ways of the false self are there in each person. The false self can change to disguise itself (chameleon). It will suit itself to changing circumstances. So it needs to be spotted in our inner lives. No one is free but we need to examine it. It’s really heavy baggage and we need to get ourselves transformed. Our brothers are the ones who really do notice us struggle. The old man is not easily fooled and only in the laboratory of faith is he to be dissected. Otherwise the virus will destroy the good cells. It’s the presence of the brothers that helps us survive.

Tensions in Transformation.

Permanent formation is a movement to total transformation in Christ. With our brothers we need to listen and face up to the truth. We need to admit the intentions of our hearts. We will open to those to whom we can open. It will require a great level of humility. The false man has to be challenged to make him meet with reality. That the new man has to be received in love is difficult for the old man. Problems always arise when the old man surfaces again. He will battle against the introduction of the new man. There is a tendency to desire honour in community. We will be helped by our brothers in facing this desire. When stones fall from a mountain they become smooth so also formation can have the same effect. Community helps smooth the individual which is a transformation from the false to the real person. Transformation then is such a journey but it will never be fully learned.

Independence.

The false self does not like to depend on others at all. So we have to ask ourselves on this journey of self discovery how that applies to me. Am I over self-dependent? It’s legitimate to be independent to survive as we require to be so. It’s the imbalance that causes the problems when I can’t turn at all to others but am totally self reliant.

In Isaiah 1-9 we read that the lamb will lie down with the lion. In community we are called to fraternity and so our journey is one of daily pardon and reconciliation. The old man turns back from this. How often do I ask to be pardoned? In community we are trying to live out the gospel and yet this is one of its main tenants – can I apologise? The way to renewal of communities is through reconciliation and pardon.

Our journey of renewal is one where we try to rediscover what is forgotten. People are renewing communities when there is an effort at reconciliation. It’s the attempt to bring in the gospel values that makes it so. Big steps are taken when attempts at forgiveness are made. It’s in reconciliation that we make our journey to God.

The art of staying in the option for Christ.

Our plan in Carmel is to be available to whatever helps us to a renewal in the Lord. We require discernment to the end of the road. All along the line discernment is necessary and it is required at each stage. Even at the end there is a stage of discernment and verification. There are different types of discernment.

Discernment.

Discretio: means to sort out the grain from the chaff. Just like the word ‘winnowing’ in the Psalm. The seed is agitated and separated. When the operation is complete then you can assess the results. The gospel performs a type of winnowing in our lives and we can do something with what is left over. Discernment is the first step in following of the Lord. It’s ongoing but at the first it is the constant examination of what is happening.

God’s unconditional love: The person to help us is none other then God. It’s the Lord who makes a relationship with us. He moves into our lives and it’s for us to respond. Just like a chair which adapts to us, God also adapts to us where we are at spiritually. He love us infinitely even with our faults. His love is beyond human love and even sin does not affect his love for us. John of the Cross tells us he loves us in sin and darkness (Spiritual Canticle). There is never a question of him despising me. I’m loved even if sinful and deserving that response as he can always see what we are potentially capable of.

The Journey of discernment: Initially we have to learn how great his love is as at the beginning we cannot see how he can love us who are so sinful. To understand it we have to sit down and make some discernment both individually and in community. So from the start we are in discernment mode as Carmelites and it’s a way of sharing and living in community. The Ratio captures all of this.

Steps to discernment.

1.         Open to God’s will.

2.         Humility.

3.         Moment of choice.

By these steps we are helped to know the will of the Lord and we are helped to discover it and to challenge the false man within. It also applies to community. Nothing should be lost and even the false self should not be lost either.

Humility: We often live in a false world and don’t know our brothers at all. In Genesis we see how Adam was told not to eat of the tree of life. We present ourselves as if we can have it all. We need to discern so as we can find out what the truth really is. We need to ask in this situation ‘what is the best thing for me?’ It’s a positive way to discuss just what we are choosing. Discernment then opens us to the question as to what do I want and what am I open to. Discernment will open us to the choice we have for good or just selfishness. It will ask real questions as to what I want at this moment of time – something sweet or sour?

God’s will is the Priority: When we look at life’s choices we can easily see so many goods. Marriage is good as is religious life – so what does God want for me? God’s call has to be discerned as it comes and will lead to a happy state. God’s will then is the touchstone of our decisions. So we can see and follow all that he calls us to. It will include the challenge of following the Lord. Temptation is that initially we cannot accept the results of discernment. Once we make the decision we can avoid the temptation. Yet trial obviously is a means of growth. As we get older we become rooted in ourselves. The old man wishes to return and we are tempted back to the false self.

Different Strategies.

The false self will adapt different strategies to get back in position, never really giving up the effort but awaiting the suitable time to do so. From our viewpoint as long as we take the struggle as normal we will be more discerning of what is happening in our lives. There is always the danger of self delusion even to the point where we commence to do God’s work for selfish motives and not for real apostolic reasons. In this way, as we advance in years, we can become convinced of our virtues and so begin to live for ourselves rather than the Holy Spirit. There is some criterion against this type of subjective form of life. Discernment then exposes the false self and its manoeuvres. God’s will for me is the target of the operation and not the trials we go through to get there. The Ratio proposes this method of procedure.

Contemplation/Transformation.

Contemplation is a process of transformation. It has to do with the challenge of the old man within. It’s not a technique as such. It’s a habit which will renew our lives in Christ. At first steps the old man within does not want to meet with God and so resents the process. To follow Christ will require this process and will also be linked to community.

A mountaineer will be attracted to a climb even if it is very dangerous. He will be attracted for many reasons and amongst them are (a) the history of the mountain, (b) the beauty of the climb, (c) the ethos of the ascent. What attracts us to Carmel? After all it’s only a small hill near Haifa. Yet it has a history and an attraction that now includes all the areas we are discussing, e.g. community, Eucharist, Lectio divina.

What makes a Carmelite Community?

If there is no faith then we are a congregation of people without aim. It’s the element of association which makes us community. It does not bear thinking about if we are a group of people in conflict, division, and malcontent. How could we open doors to a newcomer in an attractive way? If the actual central core of the community dies the community will disintegrate.

Some principles to keep in mind: Knowledge should draw us together while differences will separate us. Knowledge can also give me power over the brother and that can be used for or against him. If more that is known about me then I am more vulnerable to attack. This is the real situation. We are all in the same boat and can help each other on the same journey.

As in war, intelligence plays an important role. In war you need to gather information on the enemy. In that way you can hold the upper hand. In religious life the more we know the better position we are in. The false self would like to gather intelligence on others. That information could be used to self-benefit. Discernment on the other hand encourages each to open to the other and allow the other see one’s positive and negative points. The real question is for the community to discern how best to bring this about as each will differ as to how he likes all to be revealed. This process, while required, will posit us all facing into our negative side or shadow side and how do we like that thought?

Conflict and Creation of Space.

We are normal people and so we need to be able to resolve conflict as all humans do. Structure and authority is required. In community living there is interaction which is necessary. If we ignore problems then interaction is not possible. So conflict is helpful to reveal causes of tension which make the community suffer and from which problems arise. To resolve conflict demands maturity. A mature community is one where, when conflict arises, there is the effort to resolve it.

Prejudice.

There are many problems in community and often we try to suss them in a superficial manner. In that way we often act out of prejudice as we don’t see the fullness of the other’s character. To hold prejudice is not helpful as there are many sides to the character of the other and we tend to focus on just one side. What really counts, from a prior’s perspective in community, is not self-fulfilment but to create interaction with community members.

Opinions.

Unhappiness can develop in community very easily. There is a tendency to ignore or hide from it and it will lie dormant until it explodes. It’s dangerous to ignore causes of conflict in the hope it will disappear. There is also a simple sign to watch for when faced with disagreement….what do I actually say? If I just mouth off then the false self emerges and you’re back in square one still with the original problem but now inflamed. We need to control the tongue in such situations as it is like a wild horse and can do all sorts of damage.

Criticism.

Most of us can at times praise an individual but then add the ‘but’ of criticism. We just can’t let go our prejudice. This sort of attitude can destroy the community. We need to find a solution to this trait. What has to be kept in mind is that to form community we have to build community. That will include accepting the brother just as he is. That is the beginning of mercy. Community must be more then just getting on with someone – it has to do with interaction.

Fear.

Fear is a giant and undoes a lot of good community projects. In scripture we are told that Goliath was a giant. It could be that he was one only five foot ten but had the name of being a giant and so people were fearful of him. Fear plays on the irrational. Certainly an army should be able to conquer any giant but fear paralysed them all. What should be done is not done. Once the giant is killed all turns out well. Fear only makes the situation worse. So what is required in community is discernment as to when to act.

What follows is some idea of how to use the space within community to improve relationships of the brothers.

Eucharist.

This is one space provided by the Lord which can help us to form community as perhaps no other space does. What happens in our community Eucharist? It can be an experience without any real effectiveness. When it is a general life type experience sharing then it is pointless. It develops like that into a group that really is ignoring each other. It requires us to enter the second person level of intimacy and not the third person level of distance.

Community spaces.

Homilies are more often a sharing of doctrine then a sharing of faith. There is a big difference between doctrine and faith from that point of view. There is jump required from doctrine to faith. Faith has to show itself and be true to our selves when happy and when sad (both need to show). What is really required is not to have more Masses but to behave more like brothers during them. Such Eucharist would be a sign of healing, growth and blessings. We can approach heights of contemplation in the Eucharist (not ecstasy) by putting contemplation into practice. In this manner we become naked before God and the brothers. Eucharist that is not personal and about faith looses its power.

The space afforded by Lectio divina.

God’s word can be proposed as a growth method for community. It’s a way of living out community. It’s a collection of people praying God’s word in imitation of Mary. It has been described as teasing out God’s word in Mary’s company.

There are levels of this word like a storied house: As you mount the stairs of the house and look out windows at different levels it’s the same scenery but from a different angle. As you go higher, your have a higher aspect and a different perspective. Lectio divina has the same effect and is designed for the community taking the steps together. If we look upwards together we can see the vision together. Thérèse of Lisieux says that she was taken by the hand of God to these heights without knowing how she got there. The heights let us see depth.

The space offered by community meetings.

Another space is provided by community meetings. It’s a new way to discuss community. The meeting gives an opportunity to the Spirit to lead us forward. We should make allowance for the spiritual on the agenda. They should be for close examination. The meeting should not be just about organisation. A meeting should be a place where our faith can show forth. This takes place when we open up to the problems presented by poverty, chastity and obedience. How is God dealing with me at this moment? We are, by and large, professional word smiths and find it difficult to share deeply. How many of us have the experience of living with others for years and not really getting to know them? This obstacle should be broken down. If we don’t have an outlet then we may well quit altogether. We need to share from the heart.

Some answers to questions.

How do you get this sharing started? It can help to introduce someone from the outside to enable the community to start off. When you commence you need to follow through. Remember that it’s the inner blocks that will make journey difficult. By living out our charism we overcome the blocks. It’s the false man within that causes the blocks. The ground zero is ourselves and that’s the point of start.

What’s the role of the Prior in all this? He is the one to lead and help devise strategy. What we are here discussing is not just the personal idea of a person but that of the Ratio being presented. We don’t need another reformation in the order as that has been past but we need to live out our call and be converted in heart. We will need some structures to ensure that this takes place. It could well be that we need some sort of coaching to enable all this to happen. It could take the form of a process retreat. The aim is the building of community. How do we best build community life and what help is required to so do?

What can we expect from lectio? Getting to know the members of the community as friends. Lectio could be a starting point. It can help to focus on the word of God for the community. We can overcome our fear through the word of God.

What happens through the process? We are diverse characters in community and can be made one with Christ through the process. The goal of the whole of community life is the transformation into Christ. Remember that the role of leader in gospel is from the idea of authority to servant. Remember that what draws youth into community is the rhythm of the house and its spirit. It’s what you breath in the house. If you get the rhythm right then you’re doing well.

To input by Avali.