what is carmel

what is carmel

Carmel in Scotland

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LOOK THIS WAY - OUR MISSION
“What is the meaning of life, my friend? Is birth the beginning and death the end?” This is a question which all of us ask ourselves at one time or another. We are born – we live and hopefully have our influence for good on those around us and leave this world a better place for our having been here – We die and in sixty or seventy years we are forgotten as if we had never existed. So what is the point? What is the purpose of our lives?” Jesus says: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” As followers of Jesus we know the purpose of life. We know God created us in love and gave us life that we might grow in love for Him and for each other until we come to Love’s fruition in the joys of Heaven. For the vast majority of the human race this plan of God’s is lived within the context of a loving married and family life. But God calls some to consecrate themselves to Him in a more direct way – to belong entirely, body and soul, to Him. A Carmelite is chosen by Christ to be His bride. She spends much of her day in direct communion with Him – praising the Father with Him in the prayers of the Church – listening to His Words in Holy Scripture and contemplating Him in silent prayer and adoration. She is most intimately united with Him in the daily Eucharist. By her vow of chastity she keeps her heart free to receive God’s love – By poverty she abandons the desire for earthly possessions to make room for His gifts and she tries in obedience to discern and follow His will for her in every detail of her life. This consecration leads to a lifestyle in Carmel which is so different from that promoted by our modern secular society that it brings into sharp focus the fact that “God is All” and that He alone can and does fulfil every longing of the human heart. Jesus says: “A new commandment I give to you – that you love one another as I have loved you.” Though a Carmelite forgoes the joys of married love and does not bring children into the world, her love is not a barren love. She holds in her heart all the deepest needs of her sisters and brothers placing them before God as Mary placed the needs of her friends before Jesus in Cana, knowing that He alone can fulfil them. In a world divided into “haves” and “have nots” a Carmelite lives in a community where everything is shared in common and where each one’s needs are lovingly provided for. In a world fragmented and divided a Carmelite community is a place of love, joy, tolerance and friendship where each one is valued for who she is and all strive to serve the common good keeping in mind Our Lord’s words: “By this shall all know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another.”