THE SPIRITUALITIES
I. Rooted in Carmel
St. Teresa of Avila - Doctor of the Church
Daughters of Carmel and Carmelitae Sancti Eliae (CSE) are first of all groups of women and men who dedicate their lives entirely for the service of the Lord, especially as witnesses of His transcendence and that God must be preferred and loved above all things. They consecrate their lives wholly for the service of the Kingdom of God, which is still waiting for its complete fulfillment. While living in this world, they are yearning for the Kingdom to come.
Their radical search of God must become a testimony of life to the world of transcendence of God and of the spiritual values, which transcend the values of this passing world. In this they draw their inspiration from the spiritual heritage of Carmel, as it is historically lived in their origin on Mount Carmel and perpetuated in history especially by the great Saints of the Order, who were striving with great firmness and radicalism for the transforming union of love with the living God.
Burned by the love of God, some of them are called to witness through evangelization in all kinds of expressions, whereas others are drawn into a deeper solitude to live solely for God and thereby giving witness that God is worthy to be loved for His own sake and for no other reason.
As for the CSE brothers, they are first of all monks and will count priests as well as lay brothers in their body. As monks they are equal in everything, except in those that pertain to the priestly ordination. They are all brothers and there is only a difference in functions, not in dignity.
Their radical search of God must become a testimony of life to the world of transcendence of God and of the spiritual values, which transcend the values of this passing world. In this they draw their inspiration from the spiritual heritage of Carmel, as it is historically lived in their origin on Mount Carmel and perpetuated in history especially by the great Saints of the Order, who were striving with great firmness and radicalism for the transforming union of love with the living God.
Burned by the love of God, some of them are called to witness through evangelization in all kinds of expressions, whereas others are drawn into a deeper solitude to live solely for God and thereby giving witness that God is worthy to be loved for His own sake and for no other reason.
As for the CSE brothers, they are first of all monks and will count priests as well as lay brothers in their body. As monks they are equal in everything, except in those that pertain to the priestly ordination. They are all brothers and there is only a difference in functions, not in dignity.
II. Integrating the Asian Heritage
Daughters of Carmel and CSE is an indigenous religious congregation and
has their own originality, as they try to live the Carmelite spirituality
integrating consciously the spiritual heritage of Asia into this concrete form
of Carmelite life. Long before the
coming of Christianity, Indonesians, especially Javanese, have already
established their own spiritual culture and heritage, which is marked by a great inner
quest for the Absolute, a yearning for the Infinite.
There is a great affinity between the Carmelite ideal and the spiritual heritage of Asia. Carmel is constantly in quest for God who surpasses every understanding and knowledge. The God who preferably dwells in the depth of the human hearts, and who constantly invite man for an intimate union with Himself. So it is with the Asian heritage.
In the age of old traditions of Asia we find many people who were and are still in search of the Absolute. They are hungering for the vision of He who is unknown to them, but nevertheless is constantly attracting them to Himself in the depth of their hearts. Daughters of Carmel and CSE feel that they are called to respond to this challenge through their lives and studies, by trying to integrate all of those elements in one unity of life and vision.
There is a great affinity between the Carmelite ideal and the spiritual heritage of Asia. Carmel is constantly in quest for God who surpasses every understanding and knowledge. The God who preferably dwells in the depth of the human hearts, and who constantly invite man for an intimate union with Himself. So it is with the Asian heritage.
In the age of old traditions of Asia we find many people who were and are still in search of the Absolute. They are hungering for the vision of He who is unknown to them, but nevertheless is constantly attracting them to Himself in the depth of their hearts. Daughters of Carmel and CSE feel that they are called to respond to this challenge through their lives and studies, by trying to integrate all of those elements in one unity of life and vision.
III. Open to the Call of the Spirit in Our Times
Daughters of Carmel want to be open to all that the Spirit of God has revealed through different ways to modern men. They want to be especially open to the new outpourings of the Holy Spirit in the Church today. They want to respond to the invitations of the Spirit for a deeper commitment to the Lord, for a new experience of His Presence in the world.
In this present situation of the world, Daughters of Carmel and CSE feel the call of the Spirit is heard all over the Church: is to proclaim that Jesus is Lord in the power of Holy Spirit. For this they want to open to all the gifts that the Holy Spirit offers to the Church for the building up of the whole Body of Christ, the People of God.
In fact, Daughters of Carmel and CSE have received with an open heart the beautiful gift of the Holy Spirit brought into the Church by the Renewal in the Spirit or the Charismatic Renewal. Theologically speaking, this is an openness to the workings of the Holy Spirit and His charisms, without losing the contemplative dimension of their Carmelite roots. In fact the two great currents of spiritualities, that is the Carmelite and the Charismatic spiritualities, have been blended into one beautiful unity in the lives of Daughters of Carmel and CSE. They adopted the great grace of the Charismatic Renewal more in the theological sense, and thus giving a more Carmelite form of this renewal by preserving the contemplative dimension of prayer and Christian life.
In this present situation of the world, Daughters of Carmel and CSE feel the call of the Spirit is heard all over the Church: is to proclaim that Jesus is Lord in the power of Holy Spirit. For this they want to open to all the gifts that the Holy Spirit offers to the Church for the building up of the whole Body of Christ, the People of God.
In fact, Daughters of Carmel and CSE have received with an open heart the beautiful gift of the Holy Spirit brought into the Church by the Renewal in the Spirit or the Charismatic Renewal. Theologically speaking, this is an openness to the workings of the Holy Spirit and His charisms, without losing the contemplative dimension of their Carmelite roots. In fact the two great currents of spiritualities, that is the Carmelite and the Charismatic spiritualities, have been blended into one beautiful unity in the lives of Daughters of Carmel and CSE. They adopted the great grace of the Charismatic Renewal more in the theological sense, and thus giving a more Carmelite form of this renewal by preserving the contemplative dimension of prayer and Christian life.