Message from the prior provincial and council
“All that we desire and all that we wish to be today was fulfilled in the lives of the Prophet Elijah and of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
(2019 Carmelite Constitutions #25)
As the spiritual founder and patron of Carmelites, the Prophet Elijah was the embodiment of a true contemplative living in the presence of the one true God, burning with passionate love for the Absolute.
From the Old Testament, we recognize him as a prophet who could read the signs of the times, and who courageously stood up against the followers of Baal and their false idols. Even today, we continue to learn from this great prophet how to be single-minded in our zeal for the Lord — with an undivided heart and an uncompromising choice to serve God’s cause.
Similarly, Mary of Nazareth serves as an inspiration for all to become contemplative listeners, keeping and pondering in our hearts the Words of the Lord. The quintessential woman of faith, Mary was not only the Mother of Jesus Christ, she was also his first and most perfect disciple. We venerate her as our mother and our sister in Carmel.
These two spiritual models are the main reasons why the month of July has always been very special to all Carmelites, as we celebrate the feast day of Mary as Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16 and commemorate the feast of the great prophet-saint Elijah July 20. Over the years, more Carmelite saints and martyrs have been added to the feast days of this special month:
- July 12: Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin (parents of St. Therese of Lisieux and her sisters, whose own holiness allowed them to raise a family of consecrated persons);
- July 13: St. Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, the young nun who became Chile’s first saint;
- July 17: Blessed Teresa of St. Augustine and the Martyrs of Compiègne who died for the church, singing the Salve Regina and Te Deum and praying for the dying as they marched to the gallows during the French Revolution;
- July 24: Blessed John Soreth, who dedicated his life in reforming the Order and was instrumental in establishing the Carmelite Nuns;
- July 27: Blessed Titus Brandsma, our modern-day Dutch confrere who perished in a Nazi concentration camp for the “crime” of defying an oppressive and repressive regime. He is the patron of the Philippine Carmelite Province and we are officially named in his honor.
All these Carmelite feasts and memorials in the same month reminds us that we have so much to be grateful for, and that despite the current global pandemic and other challenges, we are still united by our common celebrations. We have every reason to still believe that everything is grace, and that God alone suffices.
We, Carmelites, are not lacking in examples on how to live a life of dedicated service to God. Certainly, we cannot claim that our saints and forebears were without blemish but they were extraordinary people who, in spite of their own failures and sinfulness, never stopped journeying towards union with the Divine. These are people who lived “normal” lives in their particular contexts, but were driven by a mystical love for God.
We are proud of our history, spirituality and charism. However, this sense of pride should not lead us into becoming self-absorbed and exclusive but instead, it should humbly lead us to appreciate the many exemplars of our faith from other Orders and Congregations – whether they are consecrated persons or lay people, including those who are unknown and not so popular as others.
With hearts filled with gratitude, we rejoice in the fact that we have a vast resource of holy people who can become our inspirations and our intercessors. Carmelites are encouraged to share their resources to all and not keep these to themselves. Let us begin by sharing to the beauty of Carmel to everyone by skillfully utilizing all the available means that we have at the moment, especially in social media. We are happy to see that social media has become a very potent tool in promoting our novena masses, as well as the plans we have made for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Let us take advantage of this technological blessing and use it in propagating the faith.
Most of all, together with our Carmelite saints, let us continue to try our best to be authentic in our service to the people.
On behalf of your Provincial Council, we invite everyone to celebrate these joyful commemorations with a continuous deepening of faith and an unfailing hope for a better tomorrow.
Indeed, God is with us! May He bless us with good health and keep us safe from harm.
Fraternally yours,
Very Rev. Fr. Rico P. Ponce, O.Carm.
Prior Provincial
