“According to the travel story of the Greek monk, Phocas, St. Berthold, ‘a monk white with age and invested with priestly dignity, came to Carmel in 1155, built a small chapel and collected ten brothers.’ He did not, however, give them a Rule, being unwilling to interfere with the customs of the hermits which among …
“In conclusion, we should like to see the great Prophet Elias in Carmel’s garden like a red rose, and not only the great Prophet but also those who follow him, climbing (symbol of the exercise of virtue) along the mountain, through the caves and grottos of Carmel, interlacing it with a girdle of fire. These …
“We should like to speak also about the apostolic character of the life of the great prophet, but his position in the Old Testament is clear enough to illustrate the zealous apostolic spirit by which he was led. Following this spirit also, Carmelite life has always been apostolic. We will see in the next lecture, …
“But the school of Carmel warns us, in its leading figures, even in the Prophet Elias, that we must never forget the great importance of the intellectual foundation of the contemplative life: the enlightenment of the mind, the exercise of all mental faculties. By the imaginative and intellectual meditation and contemplation we have to climb …
“While the schools of St. Bernard and St. Francis are schools of love, seraphic love, and the Dominican, intellectual, the school of Carmel achieves a happy mean, a harmony of both. Surely those who dwell in Carmel would have caught from the flame a spark of the love and zeal which burned in the great …
“Finally, we must note the providential combination of the two great visions of the Prophet on Carmel and on Horeb. These two visions are intimately connected. The last is the crown of the first and supplies what was not yet given in the first. While we admire Elias as he soars aloft in contemplation on …
“Special attention must be called to the vision of Elias on Carmel. This vision is the foundation of the Marian character of Carmelite spirituality. It was on Carmel’s summit that the Prophet, after sevenfold prayer, saw a little cloud – bearer of the rain which would deliver the parched earth. It is not necessary to …
“Such in brief outline is the Eucharistic tradition of Carmel; with Elias we walk in the strength of that divine bread and since we would draw near to the life of God in prayer, we must be ever mindful of the Savior’s command, ‘Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink …
“The special cult of the Holy Sacrament has not been confined to Carmel, but we can say that it has always been a constant and important part of our Carmelite tradition. Our Carmelite convents have in many instances been centers of Eucharistic worship. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was attracted to the Carmel of Florence …
“In the school of Carmel, the mystical contemplative life is the fruit of the Eucharistic life. For the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, the fountain of our life of prayer, the life of Elias provides us with a most striking type. The miraculous bread ministered to him is a perfect image of that Eucharistic food, …