The Carmelite Order is guided by the principles and values contained in its Rule, given to the Order by Albert, the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Fundamental to the life of all Carmelites, regardless of juridical affiliation to the Order, is to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ and embrace his Gospel as the supreme norm of our lives. Carmelites understand their lives to be influenced by the power of his Spirit, enabling each to discover the call of the divine to live together in mutual service of one another and of all people.
The Carmelite’s entire life is characterized by an intense search for God with total adherence to the teachings of Christ. This requires one to be transformed in Christ—a continual process of conversion. Living with this ideal at the forefront, the Carmelite cooperates in God’s plan and, each utilizing his or her own gifts, finds expression in fraternal life and apostolic zeal.
+ Contemplation
Contemplation, as a fundamental value of the Carmelite’s life, should be understood as the inner journey of the person, leading to unity of love with God, raising up the person so that this gratuitous love made be discovered and the person lives in that loving presence. This overwhelming love of God leads one to a transforming experience: it empties us of our limited and imperfect human ways and transforms them into divine ways.
Seeking the face of the living God is clearly reflected in the Rule of St. Albert, which describes a community totally dedicated to a prayerful attention to the Word. Contemplation begins when we entrust ourselves to God. It is an attitude of openness to God, whose presence we discover in all moments.
Carmelites commit themselves to make the crucified Christ the very center of their lives. Through living this attitude of contemplation each moment of one’s life, the Carmelites channel all their energy entirely towards Christ, tearing down any obstacles or detaching or emptying oneself from all that stands in the way of total dependence on him or impede perfect charity towards God and towards others.
This process of detachment or emptying leads to union with God– the ultimate goal of all human growth. We use expressions such as “purity of heart” (puritas cordis) or “total availability to God” (vacare Deo) and the experience of the desert to capture the concept of detachment.
+ Fraternity
This attitude of contemplation allows us to discover the presence of God not only in the events of ordinary daily life but especially to see God in our brothers and sisters. As such, we learn to appreciate the mystery of those with whom we share our lives.
Fraternity is the area in which the transformation within us is tested. The Carmelite Rule requires us to be essentially brothers and sisters. It strongly reminds us that the quality of interpersonal relationships within the Carmelite community needs to be constantly developed and enhanced. The examples of the Divine Trinity and the early Christian community in Jerusalem are examples to be imitated.
For the Carmelite, to be brothers and sisters means to grow in communion and in unity, overcome privileges and distinctions, in a spirit of participation and co-responsibility, sharing material possessions, a common program of life and personal charisms; to be brothers and sisters also means to care for one another’s spiritual and psychological well-being.
Religious life lived in community is a sign of the Church, which is “essentially a mystery of communion” and “an icon of the Trinity.”