The heart of the Carmelite charism is prayer and contemplation. We seek to live in God's presence and consent to God's will for us. The Charism of Carmel embraces a healthy balance of solitude and community-living. By Rancy Varghese on May 17, 2018. The Carmelite Charism A charism is a gift from God to the Church for the world. The Carmelite is aware that the transformation of the human heart by God may be hidden from most eyes but has far reaching consequences for our world. It was sometimes said that the Carmelite friars were 'active' and the Carmelite nuns were 'contemplative', but both vocations are contemplative, and that means being both active and meditative. Just as Carmelites are not restricted to one particular apostolate, so we are not restricted to one particular form of prayer. We seek to live in God’s presence and consent to God’s will for us. To become a contemplative - some might say "mystic" - is not something strange; it is what all Christians are called to by the grace of baptism. For some religious orders, their charism inspires work in a particular area. These three elements are at the heart of the Carmelite charism. Catholic religious orders use the word ‘charism’ to describe their spiritual orientation and any special characteristics or values. When the Carmelites came to Europe, the hermits quickly developed into an order of mendicant friars (begging brothers). So if all Christians are called to be contemplative, what makes the Carmelite way of life distinctive? There is no single form of Carmelite apostolate The charism of the Carmelite Order is God's gift given originally to those nameless hermits who gathered together on Mount Carmel, beside the well of Elijah, at the … This kind of community is in itself a witness that the love of Christ can break down the barriers which human beings set up and that it is possible for people of different backgrounds and nationalities to live together in peace and harmony. Marie-Eugène, OCD (1953) 2. Overview of Carmelite spirituality and charism  Description of Carmelite Charism; Inspired by the teachings of St. Teresa of Jesus; … This Rule of St. Albert and the experience of the Carmelites as they sought to be faithful to it in various circumstances gave definitive shape to the charism. New tensions, causing divisions, arose in 1432 when some mitigations were made to the Rule. by virtue of our Christian calling, but it is given to different people and religious congregations to live and witness to the different charisms of the Spirit in a particular and very pronounced way. As Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner once said, "The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all." friars, sisters, laity (our family element), and secondly, our spirituality – charism and tradition (our Carmelite element). The roots of our vocation 1. The spirituality of Carmel is a dynamic, life-giving tension. There are many good and holy ways of living that are not Carmelite. Carmelite Spirituality Also available in print as Carmelite Spirituality Teresian Tradition P… Marie-Eugène, OCD (1955) 3. The Charism of Carmel embraces a healthy balance of solitude and community-living. It used to be common to speak of religious orders as 'active' or 'contemplative', but Carmel understands contemplation and action to be complimentary, not contradictory. The hermits were forced to leave their home on Mount Carmel and settle in Europe. The Carmelite Family believes that the heart of our way of life - whether we are friars, enclosed nuns, apostolic sisters, laity, or hermits - is contemplation. Communities of friars (brothers) may vary in size and style depending on the members of the community and the place that it serves. The Carmelite Order has no known founder but sprang from the desire of those first hermits to follow Christ together with a pure heart and a good conscience. They asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem, St. Albert, to write for them a rule of life (c.1206‑1214) which laid down certain guidelines based on the previous way of life of the hermits. 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