Carmelite Spirituality - Poverty of Spirit, Detachment

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The entire edifice in the life of a Carmelite must be built upon the virtues of detachment, humility, and poverty of spirit, writes St. Teresa of Avila.

To honor a request from the Secular Carmelite thread, where Springbreeze asked for teachings on this, I thought a new discussion area was necessary, for these virtues, being so necessary, may need a lot of discussion.

Chapter XXXI (Life of St. Teresa of Avila:

When the Lord begins to implant a virtue in us, it must be esteemed very highly and we must on no account run the risk of losing it. So it is in matters concerning our reputation and in many others. Your Reverence can be quite sure that we are not all completely detached when we think we are and it is essential that we should never be careless about this. If any person wishing to make progress in spiritual matters finds that he is becoming punctilious about his reputation, let him believe what I say and put this attachment right behind him, for it is a chain which no file can sever; only God can break it, with the aid of prayer and great effort on our part. It seems to me to be an impediment on this road and I am amazed at the harm it does.

I see some people whose actions are very holy and who do such wonderful things that everyone is astonished at them. God bless me, then! Why are such souls still on earth? How is it that they have not reached the summit of perfection? What is the reason for this? What can it be that is impeding one who is doing so much for God? Why, simply his punctiliousness about his reputation! And the worst of it is that this sort of person will not realize that he is guilty of such a thing, the reason sometimes being that the devil tells him that punctiliousness is incumbent upon him.

Let such persons believe me, then: for the love of the Lord let them believe this little ant, for she speaks because it is the Lord’s will that she should do so. If they fail to remove this caterpillar, it may not hurt the whole tree, for some of the other virtues will remain, but they will all be worm-eaten. The tree will not be beautiful: it will neither prosper itself nor allow the trees near it to do so, for the fruit of good example which it bears is not at all healthy and will not last for long.

I repeat this: however slight may be our concern for our reputation, the result of it will be as bad as when we play a wrong note, or make a mistake in time, in playing the organ – the whole passage will become discordant. Such concern is a thing which harms the soul whenever it occurs; but in the life of prayer it is pestilential.

You are trying to attain to union with God. We want to follow the counsels of Christ, on Whom were showered insults and false witness. Are we, then, really so anxious to keep intact our own reputation and credit? We cannot do so and yet attain to union, for the two ways diverge. When we exert our utmost efforts and try in various ways to forgo our rights, the Lord comes to the soul. Some will say: “I have nothing to forgo: I never get an opportunity of giving up anything.”

But if anyone has this determination I do not believe the Lord will ever allow him to lose so great a blessing. His Majesty will arrange so many ways in which he may gain this virtue that he will soon have more than he wants. I would urge you, then, to set to work and root out things which are of little or no consequence, just as I used to do when I began – or, at least, some of them.

[Personal examples next post]
 
ST. TERESA OF AVILA, EXAMPLES:

One of my faults was this: I knew very little of my office book, and of what I ought to do in choir, and of how to behave, simply because I was careless and absorbed in other vanities. I saw other novices who could have taught me these things, but I did not ask them to do so, lest they should become aware how little I knew. But good example soon prevails: that, at least, is the general rule. Once God opened my eyes a little, I would ask the other girls’ opinion even when I knew something but was the slightest bit in doubt about it; and my doing so damaged neither my honour nor my credit – in fact I think the Lord has been pleased since then to give me a better memory.

I was bad at singing and I felt it very deeply if I had not studied what was entrusted to me: not for my shortcomings in the Lord’s eyes – that would have been virtue – but because of all the nuns who were listening to me. Merely out of concern for my own honour I was so much perturbed that I did much worse than I need have done. Later, when I did not know my part very well, I made a point of saying so. At first, this hurt me terribly but after a time I began to take pleasure in it. And when I ceased caring if my ignorance were known or not, I got on much better. So this miserable concern for my honour prevented me from being able to do what I really regarded as an honour, for everyone interprets the word “honour” to mean what he chooses.

By means of these nothings, which after all actually are nothing (and I, too, am certainly nothing, to be hurt by a thing like this), one’s actions gradually become worthier. And if we take trouble over such trifling things, to which God attaches importance because they are done for Him, His Majesty helps us to do greater ones.

And so it was with me in matters concerning humility; seeing that all the nuns except myself were making progress (for I myself was always a good-for-nothing) I would collect their mantles when they left the choir. I felt that by doing this I was serving angels who were praising God there, until – I do not know how – they came to hear of it, which made me not a little ashamed. For my virtue had not reached the point of desiring them to know of these things – not out of humility, but lest they should laugh at me over something so unimportant.
 
Dear Joysong,
I find the same in my profession of nursing. A good nurse always has the humilty to ask a question when she doesn’t know something. Once you learn to do it, it becomes a good habit and second nature. It’s such a relief not to be worried about what people will think. It is freeing.
 
Joysong, thank you for starting this thread. I love reading St Teresa of Avila. Talking about poverty of spirit – did you know that this Sunday’s reading is the beatitudes? Blessed are the poor in spirit.
 
Dear Carole

Thank you very much for your hard work in answering my question.

Is poverty of spirit also then, linked to forgiveness of insults, wrongs done to a a person? I am wondering if to be truly poor in spirit that the person must be even detached from all that is said about them, all wrongs done to them, gossip etc etc?

From what St Teresa says a person must be totally detached from what anyone thinks of them . Help me out here 🙂 I am struggling with how to phrase this, but should a person be able to forgive instantly and not even let the other person/s know they are forgiven? Is there a difference between correcting a persons sins or should we ignore people sins against ourself and forgive?

:o I know I have made a complete inadequate mess of trying to ask the question I have in my mind and how it appears on this page. I think what I mean is if a person is truly poor in spirit, they will not be affected nor worry about what is said or done to them except when what is said to them is to improve their character and soul, it is important to determine when that is happening…hmmm then a person may be being proud if they do not accept that indeed when someone points out faults they are actually trying to help that soul and not being malicious.

Hope you can understand that because as i read it back to myself I know I am struggling to make sense of my own questions… if you can thank you for your understanding. I will rethink what I am trying to ask.:o :confused: I am thinking of how awful a Sister was to St Therese and St Therese was always kind to her and smiled at her, didn’t admonish her, but just was kind to her

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
Those are really good posts. I am going to look into the Secular Carmelites in my parish during September of this year - the only month they accept new members during the year.
 
What a wonderful thread!

You know, if I play my cards right, I might end up getting a good chunk of my OCDS monthly formation assignments done just by following along 😃

ThornGenX, I will pray for your discernment.
 
Dear Whitedove,

I think much of this would have been good over in your thread about “Am I humble?” 😉 Yes, it is wonderful to be free of these crippling thoughts. Maybe some of our mature posters can share what they did to conquer themselves.

Hi Buzzcut,

No, I was not aware of Sunday’s gospel, but I am sure to be all ears at mass. I have noticed how often the Lord coincides the events in our lives with the readings being proclaimed at mass. Thanks!

Dear DBT,

Isn’t that just like Our Father to provide the food we need without relying on heavy labor? I am happy for you that our supplements are helpful in giving you added formation besides your monthly meeting. May we all continue to grow together through this wonderful media!

ThornGenX,

I see a new kid on the block, and we all warmly welcome you! It is always such a joy to see God calling new members. :dancing: I, too, will pray for your discernment.
 
Dear Teresa,

Many thoughts are coming to mind, but I need to take some time to pray and sort them out as to what to answer. Generally speaking, though, I learned that one can and must truly forgive another, but it does not always mean continuing the relationship, if there are serious problems present in the one who causes these offenses to us. You may remember that I am very good friends with my ex-husband, demonstrating that I have forgiven him, but it did not prevent the marriage from being dissolved and annulled.

We are sometimes so willing, for God’s sake alone, to bear wrongs patiently (one of the virtues), but we fail to use prudence (another virtue). It took me a long time to realize I was becoming an “enabler” - enabling another to continue abuse by not stepping in and loving them enough to administer correction.

More later.
In God’s peace and joy,
Carole
 
More on Detachment from Way of Perfection, Chapter 12:

catholicfirst.com/thefaith/catholicclassics/stteresa/way/wayofperfection5.cfm

Chapter 12:

Be very careful about your interior thoughts, especially if they have to do with precedence. May God, by His Passion, keep us from expressing, or dwelling upon, such thoughts as these: “But I am her senior”; “But I am older”; “But I have worked harder”; “But that other sister is being better treated than I am”. If these thoughts come, you must quickly check them; if you allow yourselves to dwell on them, or introduce them into your conversation, they will spread like the plague and in religious houses they may give rise to great abuses. Remember, I know a great deal about this. (skip) If anyone prays with the resolve to enjoy the favours and consolations which God bestows in prayer, it is always well that he should have this detachment.

You may ask why I lay such stress on this, and think that I am being too severe about it, and say that God grants consolations to persons less completely detached than that. I quite believe He does; for, in His infinite wisdom, He sees that this will enable Him to lead them to leave everything for His sake. I do not mean, by “leaving” everything, entering the religious life, for there may be obstacles to this, and the soul that is perfect can be detached and humble anywhere. It will find detachment harder in the world, however, for worldly trappings will be a great impediment to it. Still, believe me in this: questions of honour and desires for property can arise within convents as well as outside them, and the more temptations of this kind are removed from us, the more we are to blame if we yield to them. Though persons who do so may have spent years in prayer, or rather in meditation (for perfect prayer eventually destroys [all] these attachments), they will never make great progress or come to enjoy the real fruit of prayer.

Ask yourselves, sisters, if these things, which seem so insignificant, mean anything to you, for the only reason you are here is that you may detach yourselves from them. (skip) Let each of you ask herself how much humility she has and she will see what progress she has made. If she is really humble, I do not think the devil will dare to tempt her to take even the slightest interest in matters of precedence, for he is so shrewd that he is afraid of the blow she would strike him. If a humble soul is tempted in this way by the devil, that virtue cannot fail to bring her more fortitude and greater profit.
(skip)

God deliver us from people who wish to serve Him yet who are mindful of their own honour. Reflect how little they gain from this; for, as I have said, the very act of desiring honour robs us of it, especially in matters of precedence: there is no poison in the world which is so fatal to perfection.

You will say that these are little things which have to do with human nature and are not worth troubling about; do not trifle with them, for in religious houses they spread like foam on water, and there is no small matter so extremely dangerous as are punctiliousness about honour and sensitiveness to insult.

(skip)

I am thinking of nuns who are of such a temperament that they like to be esteemed and made much of; who see the faults of others but never recognize their own; and who are deficient in other ways like these, the true source of which is want of humility. If God does not help such a person by bestowing great spirituality upon her, until after many years she becomes greatly improved, may God preserve you from keeping her in your community. For you must realize that she will neither have peace there herself nor allow you to have any.
 
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springbreeze:
Is poverty of spirit also then, linked to forgiveness of insults, wrongs done to a a person?
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This is a very interesting insight which had never occured to me.

I’ll keep it in mind during this Sunday’s readings.

God bless you.
 
Dear Teresa,
I am thinking of how awful a Sister was to St Therese and St Therese was always kind to her and smiled at her, didn’t admonish her, but just was kind to her
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Although I’m still praying, this part of your message is more clear, for you may remember that St. Therese grew up and was nurtured almost solely on the Imitation of Christ for many years. I refer you to Chapter 19, Book 3, from which she possibly formed her spirit.

ccel.org/pager.cgi?file=k/kempis/imitation/imitation-bod.html&up=k/kempis/imitation/imitation.html&from=RTFToC167
W
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e do not say: “I cannot bear this from such a man, nor should I suffer things of this kind, for he has done me a great wrong. He has accused me of many things of which I never thought. However, from someone else I will gladly suffer as much as I think I should.”

Such a thought is foolish, for it does not consider the virtue of patience or the One Who will reward it, but rather weighs the person and the offense committed. The man who will suffer only as much as seems good to him, who will accept suffering only from those from whom he is pleased to accept it, is not truly patient.
For the truly patient man does not consider from whom the suffering comes, whether from a superior, an equal, or an inferior, whether from a good and holy person or from a perverse and unworthy one; but no matter how great an adversity befalls him, no matter how often it comes or from whom it comes, he accepts it gratefully from the hand of God, and counts it a great gain. For with God nothing that is suffered for His sake, no matter how small, can pass without reward. Be prepared for the fight, then, if you wish to gain the victory.

Consider also, Teresa, that our little saint had eyes only to please her Beloved, and was imbued with the spirit of suffering, where she lost few opportunities of strewing these flowers before Him. Her heart looked for no earthly reward, and she gained very much in detachment.

Alas, we are not St. Teresa, and have to live in the world. The affronts she suffered from the nun you mentioned were probably not serious sins, but inconsiderate insults and/or put-downs - who knows. These types of things we can bear lovingly for Christ.

But in the case of having to correct serious issues like calumny, detraction, abuse, etc., St. Francis deSales advises that we have a duty to preserve our good name, and must do what we can to restore it - peacefully and gently, if possible.

I hope this is beginning to make a little sense to you, but I’ll continue to ask the Lord to enlighten us.
 
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Joysong:
Dear Teresa,

Although I’m still praying, this part of your message is more clear, for you may remember that St. Therese grew up and was nurtured almost solely on the Imitation of Christ for many years. I refer you to Chapter 19, Book 3, from which she possibly formed her spirit.

ccel.org/pager.cgi?file=k/kempis/imitation/imitation-bod.html&up=k/kempis/imitation/imitation.html&from=RTFToC167

Consider also, Teresa, that our little saint had eyes only to please her Beloved, and was imbued with the spirit of suffering, where she lost few opportunities of strewing these flowers before Him. Her heart looked for no earthly reward, and she gained very much in detachment.

Alas, we are not St. Teresa, and have to live in the world. The affronts she suffered from the nun you mentioned were probably not serious sins, but inconsiderate insults and/or put-downs - who knows. These types of things we can bear lovingly for Christ.

But in the case of having to correct serious issues like calumny, detraction, abuse, etc., St. Francis deSales advises that we have a duty to preserve our good name, and must do what we can to restore it - peacefully and gently, if possible.

I hope this is beginning to make a little sense to you, but I’ll continue to ask the Lord to enlighten us.
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Dearest Carole

Thank you so much for your hard work and prayers for this question.

The more I read of what you provide, I am beginning to be convinced of two things
  1. That forgiveness and poverty of spirit are linked, but whilst they are, the truth and protection of the soul and person is paramount
  2. That if a serious wrong happens to a person justice must be sought and administered, but that also forgiveness and a sincere poverty of spirit should prevail
I am thinking of when Pope John Paul II was shot. The man was arrested and prosecuted, brought to trial and incarcerated to serve his sentence BUT the Pope visited the man, spoke with him and forgave him. The Pope doesn’t keep company with this man , but the Pope’s poverty of spirit prevailed and in doing so, Christ Jesus prevails in us and visably for others to see and experience.

Am I on the right track with what I am thinking??

I am joining you in your prayers because this is as you say a very important topic for all Catholics, not only purely in the Carmelite Rule.

I have also been taught that we are to strive to become Saints and the Canonised Saints effect to give us example of their very ordinary lives but extra-ordinary souls! Most of us live the ordinary life, but in our ordinary lives we can do extra-ordinary things by the grace of God. Maybe not great things, but in the little things we can be extra-ordinary, brining the love, peace and kindness of Christ to all aspects of our ordinary existence by His will and mercy

On an aside…returning to forgiveness and poverty of spirit, when we are sinned against it is not us that bears the greater burden, but Christ Jesus, and in this when we sin it is the same. If we are to be Christ-like and as St Paul says, ‘it is no longer ‘I’ but Christ Jesus’ to whom is the sin rendered, our pride would say it is to ourselves and how hurtful it is to ourselves, but no, the sin is foremostly a sin against God and if we are to indeed be Christ-like we are quick to forgive and bear the pains of the sin in love without retort just as Our Lord did at His trail, we are the servant, but Christ is the Master.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
Dear Carole

After further thought and prayer I am seeing detachment as not so much a detachment from things but detachment from the ‘self’ , the ‘ego’ the ‘id’.

If we are to truly live in Christ, we are to be detached from our ‘self’ from what we deem precious about the self.

To bear all, suffer all, receive blessings and to give and receive love IN Christ. We hear these phrases so often sometimes we forget the meaning of them, I know I do, but to live IN Christ is not to live in the self, but is to live IN the Lord.

In respect of the beatitudes whenever I read them and I use them as an examination of conscience, I truly see all of Christ in them and all of the virtues. When He gave the Beatitudes on the Sermon in the Mount, I feel Christ gave His very CHARACTER to humanity, the CHARACTER of Divinity and what we are to strive for to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, to keep the Beatitudes to God and to our brothers and sisters. To me the Beatitudes are an expansion and a bringing to fruition the depth of the Ten Commandments in Christ Himself in which we are to be the BODY of Christ. (Just as the Vine tree is made of one steadfast trunk (Christ) and the branches are us, but still it is one body and if it is of one body, it must be of one CHARACTER)

The Beatitudes are also prophetic of Christ’s Ministry, Passion, Death and Ressurrection and if we are to truly live in Him we can expect the same from this world.

I would really appreciate your and other people’s thoughts and anything you all can add to this dear friends

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
Dear Joysong,
I agree about forgiveness. I learned that forgiveness doesn’t entail putting your hand back in the bag with the rattlesnake. My act of forgiveness of someone doesn’t cure them of their personality flaws. Wisdom calls that I should use my knowledge of another’s tendencies for good, which means avoiding situations where it would hurt someone, including myself.

Also, I think forgiveness is something that heals ourselves. Allowing a grudge to exist in our hearts mostly hurts us! It eats away at us and makes us bitter. God always tries to help us with his edicts. Forgiveness is good for the forgiver most of all! 🙂 But, forgeting would be, well, stupid. We shouldn’t have to wipe out our memory in order to forgive. (We just should never mention it again)
 
Dear Teresa,
We live in a web of sin, I’ve come to see it. But, co-existing besides that tangled web is a netowork of God’s light active in the world, and everpresent everywhere, with the Holy Spirit actively working, moving, enervating. If we can detach our attention from the negativity and evil and see Christ who is so near and everpresent, serving him in others, I think we can make progress. 🙂
 
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WhiteDove:
Dear Teresa,
We live in a web of sin, I’ve come to see it. But, co-existing besides that tangled web is a netowork of God’s light active in the world, and everpresent everywhere, with the Holy Spirit actively working, moving, enervating. If we can detach our attention from the negativity and evil and see Christ who is so near and everpresent, serving him in others, I think we can make progress. 🙂
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Dearest Whitedove

Lovely!

Have you ever heard the Hymn ‘Christ be Our Light’?

This is the

'Longing for Light we wait in darkness, longing for Truth we turn to You, make us Your own, Your holy people, light for the world to see

Christ be our light, shine in our hearts, shine through the darkness, christ be our light shine in our church gathered today

Longing for peace our worl d is troubled
 
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WhiteDove:
Dear Teresa,
We live in a web of sin, I’ve come to see it. But, co-existing besides that tangled web is a netowork of God’s light active in the world, and everpresent everywhere, with the Holy Spirit actively working, moving, enervating. If we can detach our attention from the negativity and evil and see Christ who is so near and everpresent, serving him in others, I think we can make progress. 🙂
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Dear Whitedove

Thank you for your uplifting comments.

I am thinking of this hymn

Christ be Our Light…some bits from it pertinent to what you are saying…

V1

Longing for Light we wait in darkness, longing for Truth we turn to You make us Your own Your holy people, Light all the world to see

Chorus

Christ be our Light, shine in our hearts, shine through the darkness, Christ be our Light, shine in Your Church gathered today

V2

Etc etc …’make us your living voice’

We all know at the very least that there is good and bad in the world. As Catholics we know there is God and satan…

I am not sure what you are trying to explain to me Whitedove and it’s down to my lack of understanding not your expressing yourself.

I am not looking towards the evil of the world I am looking towards God and how to live in this world, but to live in this world we must accept that evil is also present as well as God, it seems naive to me to just focus on what is of God when so much pervades our lives that is not of God…maybe I have not expressed myself very well, sorry for that.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
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WhiteDove:
Dear Teresa,
We live in a web of sin, I’ve come to see it. But, co-existing besides that tangled web is a netowork of God’s light active in the world, and everpresent everywhere, with the Holy Spirit actively working, moving, enervating. If we can detach our attention from the negativity and evil and see Christ who is so near and everpresent, serving him in others, I think we can make progress. 🙂
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Dearest Whitedove

🙂 Yes we can
God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
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Joysong:
Be very careful about your interior thoughts, especially if they have to do with precedence.
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There is some historical background to this. It is explained in the introductions to the Kavanaugh and Rodriguez translations.

16th century Spain was a highly class-conscious society. In the Incarnation, nuns from wealthier and more prestigious families would have better rooms. Places in the choir were allocated according to the status of the nun’s family. Social one-upmanship was the norm. This is why, when Teresa founded her reformed community, she wrote to her nuns, “the one who is from nobler lineage should be the one to speak least about her father” (Way, 27.6).

Of course, spiritual one-upmanship can exist in any culture. But concern for social precedence was so prevalent in society at large that some of the nuns inevitably brought it into the monastery with them.
 
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