Please enlighten us! Forget the litigious bit.
The ‘litigious bit’ was kind of ironically meant; the item is critical of the Carmelite orders of today, which at one level is free speech in action, and in another is just disrespectful given that it criticises without citation or examples given. I wouldn’t personally bother to sue (!) but I would be interested to see some evidence for the charges.
The points I would take exception to (in the order in which they appear) are:
Carmelites should not be included within the monastic listing: we are not and have never been monastic orders.
The prophet Elijah is our spiritual father by his example but did not found the order: this is definitively a myth, best articulated in a fascinating but unhistorical pious work called ‘The Ten Books on the Way of Life and Great Deeds of the Carmelites’ by Felipe Ribot c.1385 (and available in English, ISBN 978-8872880760 - fabulous and fun if you have an interest in Carmelite spirituality).
We are decidely not a middle ground between the Benedictines and the Carthusians, being firmly allied to a mendicant life, and did not adopt
some of the customs of the mendicants when we returned to Europe after the Crusades, but in contrast to our previously eremitical life, became a truly mendicant order.
With the possible exception of the groups of hermits mentioned in post #2 above, there are no Carmelite communities in which meals are consumed in ‘individual hermitages’ or cells. We eat and pray as a group unless work makes this impossible on any given day.
Carmelites have never been properly referred to as monks, although the volume mentioned above might be a source for this erroneous idea, inasmuch as Ribot uses the term frequently.
The emphasis on solitude is partially true in terms of contemplative prayer, but more often such prayer takes place in choir, most especially amongst the OCD.
Although our charism does seem to have produced a lot of mystics, the idea that St Teresa and St John pioneered an understanding of same is erroneous; many great mystics preceded them, and neither articulated something that in and of itself redefined our understanding of such experiences. Their greatest insights were on prayer itself, mystical or otherwise.
As an aside, the use of the term ‘mystical theology’ in the article is misleading, I would say: properly (as I understand it) it relates to that branch of theology that attempts to define mystical experience, and is not, as presented here and elsewhere on the site in question, a body of theological understanding that runs parallel to or at a higher level than orthodox doctrine or dogma and which is acquired through reading about the mystical experiences of particular individuals. Although St Teresa and St John were made doctors of the church in part because of their commentaries on prayer, their visions and/or locutions are incidental to this, even if they were the source of much of their writings. As an example, St Thomas Aquinas may have arrived at his conclusions following mystical prayer, or he may not, but it is his body of work, not its specific mode of delivery, that makes him a doctor. Mystical experiences indicate holiness, but not theological genius. As a final point, St John of the Cross continuously counselled St Teresa that mystical experience was unimportant in the larger scheme of things - if this wasn’t so, what chance of salvation would us non-mystics have?
I have never heard of either the Ancient Observance or the Teresian branches referred to as ‘the order of mystics’.
I would say it was inaccurate to state that there is a renewed interest in Carmelite spirituality, since there has never been a lack of interest.
The male branches have not tended to be less cloistered than the female branches: they have, in fact, never been cloistered. That such a contrast distinguishes communities today is thus obviously erroneous.
Overall, these inaccuracies and indeed, the tone of the article (including the charge that the Carmelite orders have lost their way) seems symptomatic of the thesis found elsewhere on the site that we have passed from a golden age of the church into a current chaotic state of affairs. I get the impression that the aforementioned small groups of hermits in the US are being claimed as a flowering of true Carmelite spirituality, in contrast to a less vigorous and pure expression of same in the parent orders of the overall family, and apparently the rot set in about 50 years ago.
Obviously I would say this is entirely untrue, and without in any way questioning the sincerity of the author, I am bemused - and as Brother David says above, kind of offended - that my way of life is being critiqued from what appears to be an uninformed position, and which nevertheless offers no evidence for its bold claims.
I don’t think this is charitable, and I don’t think it is offered in the spirit that our common baptism - or even canon law, for that matter - would require. Nevertheless, I’d offer prayers for all of the faithful who feel so disappointed in the religious of the modern church, and hope that we might come to some closer understanding of each other. And I would welcome friendly correction of any mistakes in what I’ve said above.
Oh, and to the originator of the thread, who may be rather tired of all this (sorry!) - there is a lesson here, for what its worth. One of the ongoing penances of religious life is the very public criticism that you are likely to have to endure from both within and outside the church. Religious profession is highly counter-cultural, and people are fascinated by that. Both the enthusiastic and the dismissive will be quick to tell you where you’re going wrong.
ers . . . the Night Office and the Daytime Office . . . and devout use of the Book of Psalms and all of Sacred :bible1: Scripture . . . is meant for every class of mind and every degree of learning . . . it is written and framed not only to instruct and bless the educated and for souls advanced in perfection of holiness . . . but it organizes and directs a complete life of holiness in our Lord which is adapted for simple folk and for sinners . . . for the observance of the Commandments and for the beginnings of goodness. “We have written this Rule”, writes St. Benedict, “that by observing it in monasteries, we may shew ourselves to have some degree of goodness in life and a beginning of holiness.” Below are links re the Benedictine Order and information re same that you might find interesting:
