Provincial delegate's report

My dear Carmelites,

The Monastery of Marylake where I am stationed this triennium is facing a severe financial crisis this year. We spend about $2,000 more each month on electricity, utilities, gas and insurance than we manage to bring in from our ministry. Fr. Joseph is retired, but still takes the Marylake community Mass on Sundays while Frs. Ralph, Raphael and I drive out to various parishes to take their weekend Masses. About the only time we can afford to be home for the comnmunity Mass on weekends is on Christmas and Easter. We also give retreats whenever we can, and manage to bring in some revenue from these, but it is simply not enough to keep this big castle we live in running. Fr. Ralph our superior, sent out a letter requesting help in October. I gave him a contact address for each of our ocds communities, and would not do that unless our situation was critical. You are financially burdened enough to pay your own yearly dues to the order. Some communities have decided to send us a monthly donation and we really appreciate those checks. God bless you for helping your Brothers in need.

The most dire need in our province is personnel for our nuns and our friars. We need more vocations. The one time Our Fr. General’s eyes lighted up in his meeting with our OCDS Provincial Council in October, was when we discussed with him the vocation problem in our province. I said, “Father our secular order has plenty of vocations. In fact, we have more than we can handle!” Among us friars the situation is different. The California province has many students studying for the priesthood. They are an exception. We have only two. At our last visitation, Fr. Stephen Watson, the general definitor from Rome who used to be Provincial in California, told us, “I see no reason why what is happening in our province should not be happening in yours.” We just lost our only novice. Br. Javier got homesick for Mexico and I had to take him to the airport on November 11th. Our brothers gather in Oklahoma City on New Year’s Day to celebrate the solemn profession of Br. Luis Gerardo Belmonte. Please pray for vocations. If each of our secular members would find one young single man in 2007, to refer to our Vocation Director, Fr. Luis Joaquin, luisocd@yahoo.com perhaps our vocation crisis would turn into an explosion of new novices for the future.

Tennessee

On the feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Kathy DeWine was professed at St John Neumann’s in Knoxville. She made her 1st Promise after being presented to Fr. Bede Aboh by Director of Formation Jan Hicks (center).

On that same day five novices were clothed. [left to right:] Colleen Harbison, Brenda Nicholson, Beth Small, Jack Spicer, Fr. Bede Aboh & Susan Hendershott, with Jan Hicks (Form).

Alabama

Canonical privileges have been restored to our Mobile Community.

Texas

I had hoped to establish our group in McAllen to canonical status this year, and asked their bishop last March for his permission. The process has been held up because I never received a response from Bishop Raymundo Pena of the diocese of Brownsville where our McAllen members reside. In July I asked their Assistant to speak to the bishop about my request. Fr. George Gonzalez reminded him, but was told the bishop would be “out of town for the summer.” Now as winter approaches, we still wait. God tries our patience.

In October, the following seven members of Bl. Miriam of Jesus Crucified Group in McAllen made their Definitive Promises at Immaculate Heart of Mary church in Harlingen:

left to right: (With President Lucy Dominguez, and Assistant Fr George Gonzalez), Ceci Davis, Ileana Flores, Norma Vogel, Rosalinda Ruiz, Dan Dominguez, Sylvia Cardenas & Councillor Jesús Campos.

I wish to thank our communities of Austin, Dallas, St Theresa’s & San Juan of Houston, Lubbock, New Caney, Georgetown, San Antonio and McAllen, for sending me the birthdates day/month/year of their members so I could complete their membership rosters. Those communities in Texas who have not yet submitted these dates (you should know who you are!) were reminded on the day after Thanksgiving to please submit the birthdates along with updated roster information. God bless you poor souls who are assigned to do the dirty work, and pry the year of birth from our reluctant members. You will be rewarded in heaven as we struggle here on earth to get our records in order.

I play bridge in Little Rock with a little old lady who celebrated her 99th and a half birthday, for fear she’d not make it to the century mark. Well she did. In fact on her 100th birthday she was bragging in the check-out line of the grocery store that she was a hundred. The lady in front of her turned around and said, “No big deal. I’m 103.”

Our Fr. General visited our Houston nuns and a few of our Secular Order members at our nun's monastery in New Caney on October 10th.

[left to right: Joe Fourgere, Formation director Georgina Torres with grandchild, Arlene Wilder, Councillor Mary Velez, President Margaret Nuñez, Our Fr. Provincial Gregory Ross, Sr. Virginia, Sr. Ana, Sr. Mary Ann (former prioress), Fr. General, Sr. Angel (prioress), Sr. Lourdes, Sr. Mary Theresa & Sr. Josephine. Another grandchild of Georgina is at the General’s feet.

At the November meeting of San Juan community in Houston, President Victoria Rivera resigned her office. The council appointed councillor Anita Mendoza to replace Victoria as president, and elected Ernesto Mendoza as councillor.

Mississippi

On October 21st Jackson President Dorothy Ashley [photo] made her Definitive Promise with Councillor Edna Miller. “It was a very special day for me (and Edna) and definitely one of the most memorable days of my life,” Dorothy wrote. Three weeks later, Dorothy’s Mom was pronounced “terminal.” Cancer took her mother in December. “She was the first contemplative I ever knew because she would daily read her Bible, have mental and vocal prayer at a quiet spot (usually our kitchen table) twice a day. This was the seed of my Carmelite vocation.”

Wishing all our Carmelites throughout the province a blessed New Year, I remain your brother,

Fr. John Michael ocd, prov. delg.

In Memoriam

Anna Carpri, age 66, of Homewood, AL, passed away on Tuesday, November 14, 2006. She was a member of the Birmingham Business and Professional Women’s Club, where she served as Secretary and President. She retired seven years ago from SouthTrust Bank, where she was a loyal employee for 40 years. She was a devoted member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ensley and Our Lady of Sorrows in Homewood. She served as Eucharistic Minister and Eucharistic adorer at the Chapel of Our Savior. She was also PSR teacher and helped with Bible School. She was professed a Discalced Carmelite Secular on 07-Oct-1984. She served as Secretary, President and Councilor. She was preceded in death by her loving parents, Mickey and Lula Carpri.

She is survived by two brothers, and a sister, three nephews, and one great nephew. Funeral Mass was held on Friday, November 17, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church with burial in Elmwood Cemetery. Visitation was held on Thursday at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Palliative Care, 1713 6th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233, or to Carmelite Monastery, 11 West Back Street, Savannah, GA 31419.

--submitted by Fr. John Michael OCD

Her community's letter

Anna Joyce Carpri was born on October 5, 1940 in Birmingham, Alabama to her loving parents Mickey and Lula Carpri. She grew up in a traditional Italian-American home and was devoted to her family and to her OCDS Community.

She made her First Promise on the Feast of Our lady of the Rosary, 07-Oct-1984, taking the name Anna Marie of the Holy Rosary. Her Definitive Promise was made in 1987, and she took Vows in 1990, which evidenced her love for the Blessed Mother and the Rosary.

Anna served as President from 1999-2002 and assisted in hosting the Regional Congress held in Birmingham. She was especially kind and attentive to those who had taken Isolate or Infirm status, serving as their Coordinator (2005-2006). Even though she wasn't the official Infirmarian, she kept a close vigil on those who had requested prayers. Her compassion for those in the Military was well known.

When one thinks of Anna, two things come to mind - her tiny stature and her gigantic goodness of heart toward all with complete equity. In her declining health over the last year, she kept her loving gaze on Him inspiring all who knew her.

Anna surrendered to the Lord on November 14, 2006, the Feast of All Carmelite Saints. She leaves a grateful community who will cherish her memory and await the time when we shall be reunited.

--Birmingham OCDS community

Provincial Council report

January 2007

This end of the year quarter has been a rather busy time for the Provincial Council. In October we held our annual meeting in Dallas. We discussed issues with isolates at length. Since this was our first time together since we began making visitations, we also took some time to evaluate how those have been going and what changes we might need to make to our procedures. Other items discussed during our meeting included planning out Provincial Council elections in 2008, revising our instructions to study groups on profession requests, and some concerns about specific problems around the province.

The big event of our annual meeting was having the opportunity to meet with the Father General, Luis Arostequi Gamboa.

left to right: Pascal, Nancy, Fr. John Michael, Fr. General, Gerald, Elizabeth, Fr. Provincial, Anita and Amelia at Mt Carmel Center in Dallas.

Some brief notes:
- FG spoke of our juridical ties and that OCDS have close relationsto the friars.- He explained that the Constitutions use the word "community"instead of "fraternity" because it was felt to better express what weare striving for.
- Friars and nuns live their lives for the Church. Seculars take the Church into the world.
- While in the past Seculars were passive in relation to mission and focused more on individual service, Carmel includes community service/apostolate. We are moving from that focus on individual service to community service. Seculars are being called to be more active in the mission of the Order.
- FG was excited to hear that we have so many vocations to OCDS, good vocations.
- at the end, FG encouraged us to remember to have patience.

We ended our annual meeting with a day of recollection given by Pat Thompson, president of our Austin community.

However, there was no rest for the provincial council after heading home. Soon, Amelia was on the road making visitations to our study group in Thomasville GA. Due to a lack of numbers, this study group was reduced in status and its members have been granted isolate status. Pascal went on visitation to our DeRidder LA study group.

At the beginning of November, Elizabeth, Nancy, and Fr. John Michael along with Paul Schubert from our Mobile AL study group attended the meeting of the OCDS National Council (see highlights of that meeting elsewhere in this issue). The Provincial Councils from both the California-Arizona Province and the Washington Province were also in attendance (Amelia and Pascal were making visitations that weekend and Gerald was enjoying Rome with his wonderful wife). Folks from the other provinces were very interested in hearing about our visitation process and how those have been going. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend of fellowship and the sharing of many ideas between the provinces.

In early December, Elizabeth visited our Atlanta GA and Lawrenceville GA study groups. She then rented a car and got see a bit of the beautiful state of Georgia for a visit with the OCDS in Savannah who have been a Group in Discernment for the past year. After the visit, the Savannah group will be elevated to study group status.

Last but not least, we have been thinking ahead to the fact that next year we will have our first election to replace some of the members of the Provincial Council. Soon we will be sending out letters to our canonical communities asking for nominations. We hope that there will be a number of people in our province willing to enter into this important service to the Order and any of us on the current Provincial Council would be happy to answer questions about our experiences (both good and bad, but especially the good).

Provincial Council:
Pascal Alfano, Gerald Alford, Elizabeth Korves, Nancy Thompson, and Amelia Wilken

Study Group Discernments

Study Group Profession Request Procedure

As an individual is approaching the time for First Promise or Definitive Promise, we ask that you have them write a letter addressing the questions included below. These questions have been provided by one of our canonical communities who uses them as part of their discernment process and the hope is that they will aid both the individual and the council.

It is best if the reflections on these questions are written and submitted to the LOCAL council prior to an interview. We do ask that you, as the Local Council, interview each candidate.

Then, a summary report of the interview as well as the letter should be sent to the Provincial Council. The report should include the following for each candidate:

• Summary of the interview
• If any concerns were raised with the candidate, what were the concerns? Please tell why the council now feels that the concerns have been addressed.
• How has the candidate been living community life?
• Is the candidate open to change? Teachable?
• Include the attendance record of the candidate for the full current period of formation.

If at all possible, they should be in electronic format (Word files or text in emails) which will enable us to easily post the report and letters for review by the full Provincial Council. We can handle hardcopies if necessary but electronic files will make things much easier. The letter and council report should be sent to

korves@astro.as.utexas.edu
or
OCDS Provincial Council
c/o Elizabeth M Korves OCDS
1015 E Yager Ln# 57
Austin TX 78753

We need approximately six weeks to do this. We know that sounds like a long time but we seem to always have several things on our agenda and so it may take a few weeks for requests to reach the top of the list of things to look at. We'll make them a priority but ask your patience as more pressing matters sometimes have our attention.

Once we've voted on the candidates, we will get back to you. If all are approved, we'll simply drop you a quick email. If we don't approve someone or have some concerns where we think someone's formation period should be extended first, then we'll actually call either the president or the formation director to discuss in person what those concerns are.

First Promise

After reflecting and pondering your spiritual journey of the past two years, as well as prayerful reflection on the Constitutions, consider carefully what you are promising to do and write for us a description of:

· how has your experience of God changed?
· what has changed or developed in your prayer life?
· briefly describe your prayer
· how has Carmel been involved in these changes?
· why do you feel that God is calling you to this decision?
· what do you bring to community and what have you received from community?

The length of the letter will vary from person to person depending on how much you are able or willing to share with the council. We pray that writing it out will be helpful in discernment both for you and for the council.

Definitive Promise

After reflecting and pondering your spiritual journey of the past two years, as well as prayerful reflection on the Constitutions, consider carefully what you are promising to do and write for us a description of:

· how has your experience of God changed?
· what has changed or developed in your prayer life?
· briefly describe your prayer
· how has Carmel been involved in these changes?
· why do you feel that God is calling you to this decision?
· what do you bring to community and what have you received from community?
· how has the experience of living the Promise these past three years confirmed continuing this commitment for the rest of your life?

The length of the letter will vary from person to person depending on how much you are able or willing to share with the council. We pray that writing it out will be helpful in discernment both for you and for the council.

National Council

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2006 MEETING
OF THE OCDS NATIONAL COUNCIL
OF THE UNITED STATES

Meeting held Nov 3 & 4, 2006 at
Holy Hill, Hubertus, WI

1. The OCDS National Council of the USA is currently operating on an interim basis pending the approval by the General Definitory of the final draft of the By-Laws of the National Council. The final draft of the By-Laws will not be considered until after all three Provinces have their Provincial Statutes approved by the General Definitory .

2. The Oklahoma Provincial Statutes and Formation Guidelines have already
been approved and are published on two websites:
-the Oklahoma Province website:

http://www.carmelitesok.org/ocdsok/oklahoma_province.htm

or on the OCDS National Council website: http://www.ocds-us.org/, managed by Chris Hart whose e-mail address is: thekingshouse@hotmail.com .

The Oklahoma Provincial Council’s process for visitation was discussed at some length.

3. The California-Arizona Provincial Statutes have recently been approved by the General Definitory and will be published on two websites:
The California-Arizona Province website: http://www.ocds.info/ and the OCDS National Council website: http://www.ocds-us.org/ .

4. The Provincial Statutes of the Washington Province are currently in process. The Washington Province website is: http://www.ocdwashprov.com/secularorder

5. The 2007 Regional Congress will be held from Friday June 15 to Monday, June 18, 2007 at the Bellevue Hilton Hotel in Bellevue, WA, near Seattle. Cindy Sliger, co-chair of the Congress, announced that reservations are now being accepted. A reservation form is available on the website: http://congress.ocds.info/ . The theme is the Rule of St Albert: Fount of Living Waters.

6. Chris Hart, Executive Secretary/Treasurer of the National Council reported a balance of $265.14 in the National Council Treasury. She noted that the 2006 contributions for support of the National Council in the amount of $500.00 from each Province are now due.

7. The 2008 Regional Congress has been scheduled for September 11 to 14, 2008 at the Wyndham Greens Point near Houston, Texas.

Oklahoma Province representatives to national council ocds in Holy Hill: Elizabeth Korves, Paul Schubert, Fr. John Michael & Nancy Thompson.

8. The next meeting of the National Council was scheduled for Thursday, June 14, 2007 and Friday AM June 15, 2007 at the Bellevue Hilton, just before the Seattle Congress.

9. Much of the meeting on November 3, 2006 was devoted to extended discussion of the value, purposes and format of the Regional Congresses.

The traditional convention model consisting of conferences and workshops is organized more from the top down. Concerns expressed were:

a) that they were directed more to personal enrichment than with
progressing with one another toward a common goal; and

b) that they excluded those who couldn’t participate by reason of
finances, time or disability.

A “Chapter” model was suggested. This is organized more from the bottom up with issues and agendas proposed by the members and their communities and devoted more to local issues and governance.

A third or “hybrid” model was also discussed which might have some features of a chapter as well as a convention along with inter-community socializing.

There was general consensus that the provincial councils should further discuss the nature of the regional congresses.

10. There was consensus among the delegates that the National Council has
important value and it remains committed to its mission which is to:

a) provide a National Congress every 10 years

b) foster communication between the provincial councils

c) coordinate inter-province transfers

d) make recommendations to the Provinces

e) coordinate other activities where deemed useful or necessary for the
good of the Secular Order in the USA.

11. The Saturday morning session was devoted essentially to continued drafting and refinement of the National Council’s own By-Laws and will be continued at the Seattle meeting.

12. This meeting of the National Council was chaired by Pedro Gonzalez of the Washington Province. The position now rotates to the Oklahoma Province and Elizabeth Korves is the present Chairperson of the National Council and she will serve until the conclusion of the next meeting.

Expulsion

ON THE PROCESS OF
EXPULSION
FROM THE OCDS

The question has come up in various forms recently about “expulsion” from the Secular Order as a punishment. Can an OCDS member in definitive promises be expelled from the Order? Yes, BUT only under certain conditions and only if all the requisites of the law (Canon Law) have been followed. What is written here applies to those persons in definitive promises. Persons in formation are members under certain “conditions”, namely the process of formation.

In the Constitutions for the Secular Order, article 46 talks about the highest responsibility of the Council:

The Council, composed of the President and three Councilors and the Director of Formation, constitutes the immediate authority of the community. The primary responsibility of the Council is the formation and Christian and Carmelite maturing of the members of the community.

Article 47 then lists some things which the Council has the authority to do, among them: e) to dismiss a member of the community, should this be necessary, after consulting the Provincial.

Letter “e” has a footnote attached to it, and a reminder, footnotes in documents that are legally approved documents are not incidental much less decorative. The footnote justifies and explains the authority given in the text.

What does the footnote say: The foot note makes reference to canons 308 and 316 of the Code of Canon Law, which read:

308 No one legitimately enrolled is to be dismissed from an association except for a just cause according to the norm of law and the statutes.

316 §1. A person who has publicly rejected the Catholic faith, has defected from ecclesiastical communion, or has been punished by an imposed or declared excommunication cannot be received validly into public associations.

§2. Those enrolled legitimately who fall into the situation mentioned in §1, after being warned, are to be dismissed from the association, with due regard for its statutes and without prejudice to the right of recourse to the ecclesiastical authority mentioned in canon 312, §1.

In the Constitutions themselves, and as far as I have seen, in no Provincial Statutes thus far submitted has any other condition for expulsion from the Order been mentioned or approved. For example:

A member of the OCDS publically rejects that doctrine of the real presence in the celebration of the Eucharist, then the Council has the authority to expel the person from the community after consulting with the Provincial.

Second example… a doctor member of the OCDS opens an abortion clinic and performs abortions. He is excommunicated from the Church, obviously he must be expelled from the OCDS Community. Who’s responsibility is it to do so? General? No. the local Bishop? No. The Provincial? No. It is the Council’s responsibility.

Canon 308 is essentially important in order to avoid a Wild-west mentality. A member of the OCDS may only be expelled from the Order if that person is guilty of the conditions found in canon 316 both 1 and 2. The “statutes” about which canon 308 speak are the OCDS Constitutions and there are no other justifications for the expulsion of members listed in the Constitutions.

Expulsion is not a way to deal with disagreeable personalities or clashes of personalities. Imagine if at each election of the community, the new Council could expel the people who did not vote for them or expel those who criticized them. This reaction to expel people if they do not agree or go along must be very attached to the “culture of death” that justifies the death penalty, because expulsion is the death penalty in religious communities.

Neither is expulsion a way to correct faults of members. The law of the Church must always be followed in exercising any punishment. If the law is not followed then the highest authority in the Church will not support the decisions made or the penalties handed down.

You cannot expel someone unless the Church supports you. Do not expel anyone and then expect the Church (or the Order) to back you up unless the reasons are grave, undeniably proven and if you have not done everything according to the process expressed in the law.

Some Auxiliary Notes

On the Question of
those in Formation

With regard to those in the process of formation who, by definition are not permanent members of the community, the process is different. The council has the responsibility to discern the aptitude of the candidate for living our life. The council, as is stated in the Constitutions, para. 36 has the responsibility for allowing persons to continue in the program of formation. When a community elects a council, the community delegates to the council this responsibility. The council is obliged to protect the names or all the members of the community, but above all those in formation. The reasons for not allowing a person to continue in formation may require much discretion on the part of the council or of even one councilor. Never does the entire community, or any one who is a member of a community who is not on the council have the right to know the reasons for the exclusion of someone from the process of formation. The person who is told that they cannot continue must be told the reason. That person, of course is not obliged to tell anyone else in the community the reason. But in this case, this is not an expulsion from the community since the person has not yet fully been admitted to final promises.

Absenteeism

What about absenteeism? This is an area where I personally have been misquoted frequently. My original responses to this point were in regards to people who had not attended meetings for years (the first examples given to me were 15 years). My response was, after finding out if the persons were still alive, to write them a letter signed by the Council and sent by certified mail. In the letter the Council expresses its concern for the absence and asks for a response to any of the Councilors within 6 weeks to help understand the absence. If there was no response to that letter, then write a second letter by certified mail expressing the same concern and inviting the person home to the community meeting. But this time tell them that if there is no response within 6 weeks (we are now at 3 months) a third letter would be written advising them that they will be dropped from the roles of the community. That is not the same as expulsion. I have also talked about when someone who has been away for a long period returns to the community and a process for reentry.

From that original discussion which took place in the Philippines, many seem to have begun to use “expulsion” as a threat against people who might have various reasons, good or bad, for missing meetings. Make the meetings worthwhile and fruitful, and perhaps that might help more than threatening.

But no one can be expelled for not attending… dropped from the roles, yes… deprived from the right to vote, yes, but not expulsion.

(to be continued…)

--Aloysius Deeney ocd, genrl. delg. 25-Dec-06

Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity

"The Apostolate of Suffering:
as seen by Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity"

by Fr. Juan De Bono, OCD, Malta

Suffering is a part of our day to day lives and even though we know that God did not create suffering, and even though we believe that suffering is a direct consequence of sin, we may think, or else the devil may make us think, that suffering is a punishment from God for the sins of men. The fact is, God can only create good things, and he never uses His power to punish us. Suffering therefore entered the world, only as a direct consequence of sin.

We can easily understand this through an example. Imagine a youth who decides to go and rent a home for himself; it is true that by doing so, this youth will be more free than when he was still at his parent's home, but after a month of living alone, he starts to understand what this decision really meant for him. He has to start paying his electricity, water and telephone bills, he has to do his shopping and prepare his daily meal, he has to clean his home, and many other day-to-day errands. When this youth was still living with his parents, he never had to think of all these worries. On the other hand, we can never say that his parents, whose only wish is to have their child back, sent these worries to him. By choosing to live an independent life, this youth had to endure some consequences.

The same with sin, we can never say that suffering was sent by God as a punishment for the sins of men, suffering entered our system only because we freely accepted to go and live an independent life from our God.

Choosing suffering as His preferential path, Jesus showed us first of all, that suffering is not God's punishment. Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, not only suffered just like everyone else, but by accepting suffering, Jesus showed us that it is through suffering that we can free ourselves from sin and pass on to a new life in Him. In this way, Jesus showed us that suffering has a meaning. We are still free to deactivate our computer anti-virus program installed by Christ, and accept the devil's suppositions, but when we do this, we will find it more difficult to run our computer, thinking that it was God who ruined our motherboard, in other words, we find it difficult to understand the real meaning of suffering.

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity suffered a lot in her short life. From the first, she was eager to accept suffering, thinking that this will 'console' Christ's heart. Later on -especially after understanding "that sacrifice is only love put into action"1 - she started to wish once again for suffering, but this time only because she wished to repay her God with her love, doing always His will, walking side by side with her Christ. She writes:

"I cannot say I love suffering in itself, but I love it because it conforms me to Him who is my Bridegroom and my Love. Oh, you see, that bestows such sweet peace, such profound joy on the soul, and you end up putting your happiness in everything that is irritating. Little Mama, try to put joy -not the joy you can feel but the joy of your will- into every irritation, every sacrifice, and say to the Master: ‘I am not worthy to suffer that for you, I do not deserve that conformity with you.' You'll see" she continues, "that my recipe is excellent, it puts a delightful peace in the depths of the heart and draws you closer to God.” 2

Blessed Elizabeth only lived 26 years, but she encountered suffering from the beginning of her existence. Elizabeth had to suffer due to her grandparent's death first, and later especially due to her father's death in 1887, who died of a heart attack in Elizabeth's arms. This pushed her to try to do her best to win over the bad part of her character. She managed to do this after four years of continual struggles.

In her youth, Elizabeth had to suffer because her mother was against her vocation for Carmel. From the age of 17 not only could Elizabeth not speak with her mother about her vocation, but she couldn't even speak to her confessor, Fr Golmard, because he also happened to be her mother's confessor.3 Entering Carmel, Elizabeth had to suffer greatly during the 18 and a half months of her Novitiate, because her mother still was of the idea that her call was not for Carmel and Elizabeth had felt her Mother's opinion as God's will for her. Finally Elizabeth suffered due to her illness, Addison's disease, that reduced her into 'a skeleton, covered by a thin layer of skin', as she was later described, and as we can notice from her last photos.

Even though Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity suffered so much, she considered suffering as a gift from God that purified her, bringing her to a new reality with a new name, having Mary as a model and living everything with Christian joy.

Blessed Elizabeth considered suffering as a gift from God. In a long letter written to Francoise de Sourdon, she writes:

"Have you ever seen those pictures depicting death reaping with his sickle? Well, that is my condition; I seem to feel myself being destroyed like that. Sometimes it is painful for nature and I can assure you that if I have to remain at that level, I would feel only my cowardice in the face of suffering. But that is looking at things from the human point of view! Very quickly ‘I open the eyes of faith'. And this faith tells me that it is love who is destroying me, who is slowly consuming me; then I feel a tremendous joy, and I surrender myself to Him as His prey." 4

Suffering is considered as a gift from God, because it gives us the opportunity to do that which we so much need to do, and that we are afraid to do. Through suffering, God gives us the opportunity to assimilate ourselves more to Him.

Even though suffering -as already said- is not God's punishment, but a direct consequence of sin, through suffering God purifies us, helping the soul advance in its spiritual walk. She writes, referring to her mother:

"Suffering has done God's work her soul, and I am filled with thanksgiving and gratitude. What mercy, what love the Master shows His little bride by sending her this illness; sometimes I say to myself that He acts as if He had no one but me to love!" [L 276]

Suffering also has a pedagogical value because it increases the faith of those who "believe in His love. The more" they are "tried, the more" their "faith increases because it passes over all obstacles, as it were, to go rest in the heart of infinite Love who can perform only works of love." [HF 20]

Suffering also has a pedagogical value because it transforms and unites the soul with her Beloved. In this way, Christ, "doesn't need the Sacrament to come to me! 5 because everything will be a sacrament that will give God to me." Suffering helps the soul to live in a "kind of continual communion with the Holy Spirit" [L 252] in "the royal palace where I live with my crucified Bridegroom." [L 323 a]

The more the soul is purified, the more it will resemble Christ and participate in His same mission, living in an existential way the Eucharist.

"Your mother's heart should leap for divine joy in thinking that the Master has deigned to choose your daughter, the fruit of your womb, to associate her with His great work of redemption, and that He suffers in her, as it were, an extension of His passion." [L 309] Elizabeth felt that her mission was to be 'another humanity' and "become like a flame of love spreading into all the members of the body of Christ, the Church." [L 250] Elizabeth speaks of "the apostolate of suffering." [L 259]

But Blessed Elizabeth profoundly believed that by her suffering, she was 'participating' in the Eucharistic Mystery. For this reason she demands the ordained priests to "consecrate me so completely that I may no longer be myself but Him." [L 294] She asks to be placed "in the chalice so my soul may be wholly bathed in the Blood of my Christ for which I thirst." [L 131] Mother Germaine is considered by Blessed Elizabeth as her priest, the one that will offer her to the Father, while she considers her bed as her altar. Elizabeth so much understands and lives this truth, that Fr Conrad De Meester, defines her as 'Elisabeth de l'Eucharistie’, that is 'Elizabeth of the Eucharist'. 6

A soul that accepts suffering with this spirit, will become a 'praise to His Glory'. As Fr Philipon notices, we need to distinguish between the internal glory of God, that is that glory that no human being, or even not even anything created by God, can add or subtract anything to it, and the external glory of God, which reveals the greatness of the internal glory of God. By aiming at becoming a saint, Elizabeth "gives glory to her adored Master", [L 299] and by bearing "this state of powerlessness with fidelity, with love", she felt she would "cover Him with glory." [L 220]

On this road, especially at the foot of the cross, Christ left us His Mother "standing, full of strength and courage... teaching me to suffer as He did, to tell me, to make me hear those last songs of His soul which no one else but she, His Mother, could overhear." [LR 41] This is the reason why Blessed Elizabeth wished the small statue of our Lady of Lourdes she had at her home, be kept always near her during her last suffering, calling her 'Janua Coeli', that is 'Gate of Heaven'.

Those who accept suffering with this spirit, live everything with internal joy. "I am tasting, experiencing unknown joys", she writes, "the joy of pain... before I die, I dream to be transformed into Jesus Crucified, and that gives me so much strength in suffering." [L 324] So the joy in suffering derives not from suffering in itself, but from the fact that one is conscious of the reason why he has to suffer, and the One with whom he has to carry his cross. "If you knew how happy I am in the solitude of my little infirmary, my Master is here with me, and we live night and day in a sweet heart-to-heart." [L 267]

Summarizing, one can say that for Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, suffering is a gift from God that purifies the soul, pushing it to a new reality, with a new name. On this path, the soul is guided by Mary, and is called to live every moment with Christian joy.

But even baptism is a gift from God that purifies a soul from the Original sin and pushes those who receive it to a new reality, with a new name. Even these souls have Mary as their companion and everything becomes for them a fountain of internal joy.

Therefore not only is there a certain parallelism between suffering and baptism, but suffering becomes in itself God's gift to live today the baptismal vows. In this way, those who do not have the opportunity to receive Baptism, because they never heard of Christ, can reach eternal glory by accepting suffering as a positive gift from a Divine being. United to Christ's death and Resurrection, therefore as Blessed Elizabeth shows us in her writings, a share in that suffering, can save everyone. It is through suffering that every human being not only can be saved, but also will be saved.

--Juan de Bono ocd

_____________________________
1 L 250, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity, Volume II, p. 232.
2 L 317, Ibid, p. 338.
3 Her mother did not wish her to change confessor (cfr., D 5).
4 GV 7, The Complete Works, Volume I, p. 126.
5 Intimate notes 10.
6 C. Meester De., "Regards du Carmel sur l'Eucharistie' in Revue du Carmel 25 (1982) p. 50.

L = letters of Bl. Elizabeth
HF = Heaven in Faith
GV = The Greatness of Our Vocation
LR = Last Retreat

Keep Focused

Keeping the Focus at our Meetings
on Carmelite Matters

The OCDS community of Endwell, NY uses these questions to guide their community discussions in order to keep things on track and focused upon Carmel matters. We thought they were good policy and so share this with our Province.

Our Community talks quite openly about the "4-D problems" that can get our community off track.

1) Does it (the subject matter) distract us from our Carmelite studies?
2) Does it dilute the messages or teachings of Carmel?
3) Does the presentation of the subject matter seem disruptive?
4) Does it cause division within our community?

People are free to chat about anything they want during our lunchtime of course, (our meetings last six hours) but during the meeting these are the criteria that apply when other topics come up.

BASIC COMPONENTS
OF LAY SPIRITUALITY

> Christian Prayer/Liturgy of the Hours and Meditation
> The Eucharist and "gazing upon the face of Christ"
> Fulfilling one's duties
> Overcoming difficulties, particularly with self and self-knowledge
> Making more profound our knowledge of the Eucharist and especially its intercessory powers.
> Examination of Conscience
> A filial devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
> The role of mortification., especially passive
> Spiritual reading, is a help to persevere through darkness in prayer even though we may not be using the reading itself for prayer.

end winter 2007 issue

of Flos Carmeli newsletter