Quote of the day, 12 December: Camilo Maccise, ocd

Carmel looks upon Mary as Mother, Patroness, Sister and Model, the last being particularly associated with the understanding of Mary as the Most Pure Virgin. These are not just titles or devotional themes. In some way they reflect the experience of the Carmelite Orders over many centuries. We invite all Carmelites to look again at the testimony of those who have gone before us and ponder how these riches might be shared among ourselves and with the wider community.

Carmelite saints have all taken up this theme of Mary as mother. St. Thérèse of Lisieux memorably stated: “She is more Mother than Queen.” For many centuries the Carmelite liturgy has shown special affection for the Gospel scene at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25-27) where Mary, “became the Mother of all, associated with the offering of her Son and given to all people when Jesus Himself gave Her to the beloved disciple”.

Seeing Mary as Mother we are encouraged to reflect on our relationship with her: she cares for us as Mother; we love and respect her as sons and daughters. Moreover, in viewing Mary as our Mother, we are pointed towards her Divine Son in whose allegiance we live. From early times the Fathers of the Church have seen that a correct Mariology serves to guarantee a correct Christology.

Our vision of Mary as Mother and Beauty of Carmel can be an important offering to the whole Church. Over a quarter of a century ago, Pope Paul VI invited theologians to look at the way of beauty as an authentic approach to Mary. In a world with so much distress and ugliness, we are invited to look upwards and to relax in the contemplation of Mary’s beauty, for she is God’s “sign of favour to the Church at its beginning, and the promise of its perfection as the bride of Christ, radiant in beauty” [Speech to the Mariological and Marian Congresses, 16 May 1975].

Camilo Maccise, O.C.D.
Joseph Chalmers, O.Carm.

Letter on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the Carmelite scapular

Virgin of Guadalupe
Mexican, early 18th c.
Oil on canvas, about 1700
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

#BlessedVirginMary #CamiloMaccise #Carmelite #JosephChalmers #Mariology #MotherOfGod #StThereseOfLisieux #VirgenDeGuadalupe

The primordial reference of Christian spirituality is Jesus: conversion to Him and to following Him. Christian life is a life “in Christ” and “in the Spirit,” which is accepted in faith, expressed in love and lived in hope.

This Christian life is diverse due to the richness of its content and the circumstances in which it is lived. There is unity of Christian life and diversity of spirituality: Eastern and Western, ancient, medieval, modern, contemporary, lay, priestly, religious, male and female. This happens because spirituality embraces all of life, even action, and is conditioned by the circumstances in which it is lived. From these circumstances, different accents arise which characterize spirituality within the Church.

Consecrated life is a style or way of living [the] Christian life. Its point of departure is a charism communicated by the Spirit to follow Jesus in a consecration through vows, lived in communion for mission.

Among the characteristic aspects of the spirituality of consecrated life, there is the fact of living one’s faith, hope, and Christian love beginning with the commitment of the vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. These vows introduce special tones in the way of living a theological life.

The three vows are expression of the three theological virtues, but each of them emphasizes and exercises one of them in particular. […]

A spirituality of the vows furnishes a special framework to the three fundamental demands of the following of Jesus (Cf. Lk 14:2–35), which are addressed to all Christians: keeping family ties in balanced perspective is expressed in consecrated chastity; seeing material goods in just perspective is concretized in poverty; keeping one’s autonomous life plan in perspective is symbolized by carrying the cross and seeking to fill God’s will in obedience, and living free for the service of the [Kingdom], in consecrated chastity.

Father Camilo Maccise, O.C.D.

Spirituality of Vows (excerpts)

Note: Father Camilo Maccise, O.C.D. was Superior General of the Discalced Carmelite Order from 1991–2003 and President of the Union of Superiors General from 1994 to 2001.

Featured image: The Discalced Carmelite nuns of Santiago de Compostela gather in the monastic choir to sing the solemn Salve Regina. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/20/maccise-vows/

#CamiloMaccise #chastity #consecratedLife #HolySpirit #Jesus #obedience #poverty #theologicalVirtues #vows