By Sr. Larissa, OCD –
Queen Beauty of Carmel, Mary our Mother bursts into exultant praise of God ‘My soul glorifies the Lord…’, in response to the admiration of her kinswoman Elizabeth.
With Mary, every Carmelite’s spirit rejoices in God; for to be led into the land of Carmel is to enter upon a journey culminating “so close to God, that a soul is transformed into a flame of love, in which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are communicated to it… that it enjoy a foretaste of eternal life”.
The Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel, in the famous ‘scapular promise’ assures all who die wearing it, eternal life. What she really wishes is that, (rather than wait to deliver a soul from purgatory after death), we begin experiencing eternal life already here on earth. Mary’s daughters and sons, the great mystics of Carmel, grant us glimpses of this foretaste of heaven. For surely a mother shares, nay, gives all that she has of what is most precious and enduring and for Mary this would be to foster the interior life in her children, in whose summits she had her home while on earth.
Two mystical doctors of the Church, Saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, Carmelites, teach us of these mystical heights which all the baptised are invited to, yet so few arrive at. Indeed, has not St. Paul himself said that the Holy Spirit reveals to those who love God those things no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived, things which God has prepared for those who love Him (cf. 1Cor 2:9,10).
“Each one of us has a soul, but since we do not prize souls as is deserved by creatures made in the image of God we do not understand the deep secrets that lie in them”, says St. Teresa. In the state of Spiritual Marriage which is the highest attainable in this life, all three divine Persons communicate themselves to the soul, speak to it, and explain the words of the Gospel that He (Jesus/ the Word) and the Father and the Holy Spirit will come and dwell with the soul that loves Him and keeps His commandments. God dwells secretly in all souls (even those in mortal sin) or else they would not last. But there is a big difference in each ones perception and experience of His presence.
In the soul in which less of its own appetites and pleasures dwell, (i.e. love of and desire for materials things, obsession with food, fashion, trends, sport, entertainment, distractions, news..), He dwells pleased and at home rejoicing as a Bridegroom over his bride (cf Is 62:4 ff). ‘Oh, then, soul, most beautiful among all creatures, rejoice to see that all your good is so close as to be within you or better that you cannot be without Him. What more do you want? – It will never satisfy. What else do you search for outside – zapping, zapping and more zapping – ‘when within you possess all your riches, delights, satisfactions, fullness, and kingdom’?
Like the wise merchant (Mt 13:44), sell all you possess i.e. forget your possessions, internet & apps, all created things which pass away, hide in the secret chamber of your spirit. There, close the door, which is your will or desire for everything else, and pray to your Father in secret (Mt 6:6). You will experience Him, love, enjoy and delight with Him in a way transcending all language and feeling. Yes, ‘the Almighty works marvels – Holy is He’; hear His call to holiness.
“In this interior union, God communicates Himself to the soul with such genuine love that no mother’s affection, brother’s love, friend and lover’s attraction is comparable to it. The tenderness and truth of love by which the immense Father favours and exalts this humble and loving soul reaches such a degree, O wonderful thing, worthy of all our awe and admiration, that the Father himself becomes subject to her for her exaltation, as though He were her servant and she His Lord (cf Lk 12:37). So profound is the humility and sweetness of God.”
Any wonder then, that Mary hastens the hour with her simple, sensitive request as she implores, ‘They have no wine’. She will obtain too, the grace to ‘do whatever He tells’. Yes, this mutual surrender of God and the soul becomes a source of immense fecundity for humanity. Science has proven that the waves emitted by the brain in a state of deep meditation and interior calm have a positive effect on the entire surrounding.
What then of a Christian transformed by the Holy Spirit of God, one who has become a very vehicle of the divine life to creation! Be it known that a little of this pure love is more precious to God and the soul and more beneficial to the Church and world than all other works put together. Far from being idle, the soul is more occupied than before with everything pertaining to the service of God. So does Mary forget herself, hastening to Elizabeth to remain with her in her need in humble, loving service! Two thousand years running and miracles continue at her intercession and initiative.
Haste then, O generous hearts, run in the footsteps of Mary your Mother and Sister, patroness and advocate. Make your option for the interior life and become a living flame of love crying out with one of Mary’s daughters, the Little Flower, St. Therese, “In the heart of the Church my mother, I will be “ Love!”.
The Carmelites: The Cloistered Carmelite Nuns are committed to a ministry of prayer, often described as the spiritual powerhouse of the Diocese.
Carmelite Monastery, Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri East, Mumbai 400093. Tel: 2820 5303.