Dear Family Members, Friends, and Benefactors,

We have made significant progress on our chapel in the last month. As you will see below, the two colonnades are now in place. In light of this fact we will be returning to our articles on the pillars of Carmelite Life. It is a reminder that as we build the chapel, a spiritual edifice is continually being raised up to God. In this post you will find the following:

Light for the Way, Love for the Wayfaring - “Sweetest Love of God”
Pillars of Carmelite Life - “Silence”(Part 1)
Construction Update (click here for last month’s update)
Around the Monastery - “In the Cloister and Beyond”

Please know that you all remain in our prayers. We hope you enjoy the articles and all the pictures. Thank you for sharing in our life here at the Hermitage.

The Carmelite hermits

Light for the Way, Love for the Wayfaring

“Sweetest Love of God”

This saying is an exclamation of love. There are many instances of such utterances within the works of St. John of the Cross. Perhaps the most famous of them is the Prayer of a Soul Taken with Love. At the height of his outburst in prayer, John tells of a God who is all his: “Mine are the heavens and mine is the earth. Mine are the nations, the just are mine, and mine the sinners. The angels are mine, and the Mother of God, and all things are mine; and God himself is mine and for me, because Christ is mine and all for me.” (Prayer of a Soul Taken with Love, Sayings, #27). It is easy to focus on the nada, that is, the nothing which appears in the doctrine of the mystical doctor. We keep our eyes fixed on the negation. Words like mortification leave a bad aftertaste in the mouth.

Additionally, there is all the talk of purification, purgation, darkness, suffering, and self-denial. An overemphasis on the nada would kill any sense of the todo, the all of love, in the writings of John of the Cross. Yet, here in the prayer of St. John it is very clear that love is All. In fact, it is everything and John states that he who possesses it to the full has found a rich mine. Which is to say that he has gained all. God, who is love, is all for the soul and the soul all for God. The All is God in whom we possess all things in love. It is a fullness rarely attained and so little known. Everything that is “given up” for God’s sake is found again in him. God becomes all things in all as we subject our whole being to God in the surrender of love. God, through his Christ, opens up the mines of all spiritual riches: the heavens, and the earth, the nations, the just, and yes even the sinners, the angels the Mother of God (the last testament of Jesus to his beloved disciple when breathing his last on the Cross), God himself, and Christ his Son our Lord. Think of the Bride’s words in the Song of Songs: “My lover belongs to me and I to him…” (Sg 2, 16). Clearly, the experience of God’s love is total and compared to it all else is nothing. This is just a brief sketch of the interplay between the todo and the nada, the all and the nothing, in the dynamic concept of love in the thought of the doctor mysticus.

Our question is: what elicited such a cry from the heart of St. John of the Cross? Was it the beauty of nature, giving testimony to God? Was it the thought of the Incarnation and our redemption? The wisdom of God’s plan in the persons and events of salvation history? The birth of the redeemer – the thought of God become man? The miracles of our Lord and his sayings? The call to follow him? The look of Jesus? The love of Christ on the Cross? The Lord risen in glory? The Son at the right hand of the Father? All this and more has the power to evoke love from the heart. Christ is a rich mine which cannot be exhausted.

On the other hand, was it the inability to perceive this love of God? The experience of his absence and the cry of love is a telltale sign of the soul’s deep longing. Or, is it a cry of dismay that love is not loved because of so much indifference to Christ and his mysteries? Perhaps, even a cry of horror at those who refuse to respond with love for Love?

Yet again, is this exclamation the result of an experience of God in prayer? A moment when loving wisdom flows secretly into the soul and makes it to love sublimely? A touch of high contemplation? It could be all this together. Everything possesses the potential to communicate the love of God because God is always giving himself in love. My guess is that it was a moment in prayer in which God made himself known – a moment in which one is able to “taste and see” that the Lord is Good. (cf., Ps 34, 9).

Furthermore, John of the Cross is telling us that this love is so little known. So very few know the secret of prayer or of the mystical life. Not many understand the joy of knowing God in the ordinary happenings of daily life. The love of God remains undiscovered, but it is always there for someone to find – for the one who seeks in faith and love. Anyone can be a contemplative. And yet, there are so few such persons. Why? “God knows best,” is John’s own response as to why not even half of those who exercise themselves in prayer never reach the contemplative way. Christ is a rich mine and we must search out all things of the Beloved. Mining the heart of Christ will be the greatest joy of heaven. New courses of the riches of his love will be discovered forever with no end. All that has been said of the love of God in Christ is a mere drop. Everything yet remains to be said.

It is now time to put on our own miners’ caps as we spend a few minutes contemplating the meaning of love, providing for ourselves a definition. Love is so little known in our own time. It has become a vague concept which has obsessed the minds of most and yet remains unattainable - there are many restless hearts out there! The reason: people do not know love.What do you think love means? Search the heart of Christ and you will find your answer. In the heart of Jesus you will discover riches never imagined by the human mind and heart. If you discover this mine you will find rest, fulfilling the well known words of St. Augustine: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.”

Pillars of Carmelite Life

“Silence” (Part 1)

When coming to the monastery became a known fact and my decision to enter a definitive choice, everyone had questions for me. One of those questions was about silence. In some instances, the people asking about silence were more terrified of what I might have to face in the quiet than I was myself. Funny!... For example, one individual really thought that I would be taking a vow of silence, and that I would never be able to speak again as long as I live. I tried to explain that this was not the case. This person was convinced, and insisted that I reconsider my decision to venture into the silence of monastic life - I was told that I would lose the ability to use my vocal chords if I became a monk! This is a common misconception. As we will see in this article and the one to follow on Pillars of Carmelite Life, silence is a support for the life of prayer as a whole. It is not the whole of our life as Carmelites and neither are we keeping silence perpetually. We will note the subtle strains of rhythm in our silence - a quiet for the day and a stillness for night, an all encompassing atmosphere for the work of God in prayer, our holiness.

Returning to the question of silence…. It can be a terrible question. The specter of silence is perhaps a little too much to countenance for many in our own times. Let's face it, silence is hard for a world constantly communicating by any number of devices. The world changed with the advent of the printing press. It changed even more greatly with the coming of the internet, satellite communication, and the smart phone. Everyone is connected and everyone is sharing instantly at every moment on a number of platforms throughout the global village (imagine now, in the background, the Grinch's refrain as he thinks about Christmas in Whoville: "noise, noise, noise!"). Okay, this is only a sketch and at best a generalization. However, it is true to say that silence is a challenge today, and for that reason it has value for our lived experience as members of the human family, especially as Christians who are called to transform the world by our presence in it. The Rule of St. Albert, Carmel's formula for life, sets the practice of silence up as an essential support in the life of prayer and contemplation - a pillar of Carmelite Life.

Turning to the Rule of St. Albert we find that the chapter "On Silence" follows immediately after Albert's precept "On Work". In fact, the preceding chapter on work ends with an exhortation: "in the Lord Jesus Christ to earn [their] bread, working in silence. This way is holy and good: follow it." The structure of the Rule is telling us that silence itself is a work. It is an essential exercise of Carmelite life - a great work of the spiritual life, in general. St. Albert outlines for us the way of silence. It is good for us to follow him in the way.

He begins: "The Apostle recommends silence…" Albert recommends silence by way of apostolic command. It is a dimension of life and prayer fundamental to Christian experience. Silence is based upon the authority and example of St. Paul the Apostle. In other words, silence is an apostolic institution (i.e. a teaching, principle, guideline) in the mind of St. Albert. It is valid as a way of Christian spirituality because it rests upon the foundation of apostolic teaching and example. The life of the Apostle includes intense activity (work) and deep stillness (silence). In the Rule of Carmel, work and silence complement one another just as contemplation and the apostolate combine to form the fullness of Christian life and mission in the Church.

I mentioned that the practice of silence is a work. What kind of work? The practice of silence is described as the "cultivation of justice" by the Rule. The phrase appears twice and forms an inclusion within the rule setting off silence as its own particular exercise of Carmelite life. The inclusion begins with "As the prophet also testifies, 'Silence is the cultivation of justice…'" and closes with, "let him try attentively and carefully to practice the silence in which is the cultivation of justice." What kind of work is being undertaken in the soul? What particular task does silence perform within the field of the soul? It is a work that cultivates virtue and holiness. Themes from Isaiah are playing in the background of the text. Here is just one example:

"Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever." (Is 32, 16-17).

There are some wonderful words here: peace, quietness, and trust. Silence cultivates these gifts in the enclosed garden of Carmel. Who wouldn't want to experience such blessing? Silence creates the atmosphere for the experience of God and his peace. It teaches trust which is realized not in the frantic activity prompted by the impulsive suggestions of an anxious mind, but in the quiet of a heart that is at rest in God.

Saint Anne. Coptic, 8th Century. National Museum in Warsaw, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Thinking about the value of silence, we recognize that silence is an act of worship because it is nothing other than surrender to, and trust in the loving influence (dominion) of the Lord in our lives, individually and as a people. Silence is also a work of trust. Silence, by an act of surrender, brings about right relationship with God. Silence teaches us to listen to the Word of God, to meditate upon his Law, and follow in his way. In silence, we let God speak - even command the direction and course that our lives take. When we choose our own way, we silence God. We shout until we have our own way… we attempt to speak over God and his counsels until our will is done. The way of Carmel is different - it is the way of silence in which the only word said is "fiat!", that is "let it be done unto me according to your word!" Or, "Your Will be done"… "not my will… but yours!" And finally, in silence we are able to cry out, "Yes, Father!" God cannot begin his work of transformation in the soul, until we learn to practice silence.

Think about how different our lives would be if we learned to live in this atmosphere of quiet and rest. It is a guarantee that there would be more peace in the day, if we learned to refrain from entering into the constant noise in the environment which surrounds us. The guarantee evidences itself, for example, when we allow ourselves to enjoy the quiet beginnings of a day as the sun rises silently on the horizon. Picture the first rays of dawn pouring into the windows of your kitchen as you take in that first cup of coffee or tea. The promise of peace renews itself at the end of the day, after all the activity ceases… savor that sunset! God wants our peace. Silence teaches us how to enter that peace. There is a living silence to be found in the dead of the night when the whole house is at rest. Silence is a refusal to enter into a world of disquiet, unrest, and sin (remember for a moment memories of hard words spoken, arguments, and shouting matches). Life is different when we keep our peace and silently trust in God, who speaks to us moment by moment. In the silence we let him be Lord of our life. Let's end now with a few verses from a Psalm:

"O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother’s breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and for evermore." (Ps 131, 1–3)

Construction Update

Since our exciting announcement of August 15th, all 14 columns are now standing. The colonnade is a striking feature of the Roman basilica, a feature our chapel now shares.

Unfortunately, the colonnade could only be appreciated for a short while! The contractors made quick work of surrounding the columns with scaffolding so that the exquisite capitals can be set on top.

The round tops of the columns can be seen protruding through the plywood decking.

As you can see the construction is coming along beautifully. In order to finish this chapel, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we still need donations. Please consider giving a gift to help us complete this project. God reward you!

Donate to Our Chapel Today

Around the Monastery

In the Cloister and Beyond

Honey Crisp Apples Ripening in a Hermitage Yard

A Look at The Garden Produce

St. Teresa, when speaking about aridity in prayer, says that in these moments we have the opportunity to thank God for placing us in his garden. We hoped you enjoyed this post and the pictures of our garden and cloister. We sure are grateful that God has placed us here. We are praying for you!

In Silence You Will Find Peace