JMJT! Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
As I sit down to write this, I am still marveling at the graces and blessings received from our family trip to Belgium and France in general, and the pilgrimage I made with my 16 year old daughter to Lourdes, in particular. I will be reviewing and unpacking the gifts received for the rest of my life, I am certain. I feel compelled to share something that happened immediately upon arriving, and which is connected with our OCDS Constitution, our rule, and the 6 M's [Mass, Mary, Mission, Meetings, Meditation, Morning and evening Prayer] that we study at the very beginning during the aspirancy period of formation.
My family was finishing our 2 weeks together traversing BENELUX, the Normandy region of France, and Bastille Day spent in Paris with wonder and a keen sense of gratitude, as we prepared to separate with the 'boys' returning to the States, and my daughter and I continuing on to Lourdes. We had witnessed incredible art, architecture, churches, scenic drives, and an abundance of good food together. Our eyes were filled with awe and wonder as we watched the fireworks display at the base of the Eiffel Tower illuminate the Parisian sky and celebrate their independence with dramatic color and flair. Amidst all of this joy and excitement, early the next morning, I experienced a medical complication that was unplanned and unprecedented. My husband and I contemplated whether I should be taken to the hospital or if I could move forward on flying to Lourdes. Doubt and fear was cast on these plans, but I knew that I could never give up my dream of visiting Our Lady's special place in the Pyrenees. So we cautiously persevered and my daughter and I got on the plane from Orly to Lourdes with a bit of trepidation and concern, but also filled with anticipation and excitement. We were relieved to land without incident to our destination, and were able to get ourselves settled in our hotel and over to the Information Center for a wheelchair and then on to the breathtaking Basilica to begin to take it all in!
Upon entering the Basilica, I read a sign that there would be an ordination of 3 Discalced Carmelites the following day, on the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. That was indeed exciting as I had never been able to attend an ordination, and now had this special opportunity! As we explored the basilica and prayed at the various altars, a Carmelite friar named Brother Gabriel approached me and introduced himself. We began to speak quietly and he soon brought us outside in order to the introduce us to the two brothers who were to be ordained deacons the following day. I explained that I was a member of OCDS from Phoenix, Arizona. There was much excitement, and it was decided on the spot that the two of us would be their special guests throughout their pilgrimage to Lourdes, and the upcoming ordination. We were promptly taken around Lourdes, brought to the Carmelite convent perched on the hill overlooking the grotto, where Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette for the very last time on July 16th, and introduced to the Carmelite sisters there. We were brought to all of the events which included the candle-lit Rosary Procession in the evening, as well as the Eucharistic Procession the next day following the Ordination. We were shown the baths, the Stations of the Cross, and the Adoration chapel. I was invited to attend the talks about St. Elizabeth of the Trinity with the entire Toulouse OCDS community, one of which was given by Marie-Paul Stevens, the very woman who was cured of her disease through the intercession of St. Elizabeth! [See http://www.thereseoflisieux.org/my-blog-about-st-therese/2016/6/21/the-miracle-that-made-elizabeth-of-the-trinity-a-canonized-s.html]
Members of the OCDS Community even shared their picnic lunches with my daughter and I following the beautiful ordination, as we were unprepared and had no food. Everyone was greeting us, welcoming us to their special weekend of prayer and celebration, and interested in who we were and how we came there. My teenage daughter immediately commented on how friendly every person in the Carmelite community was towards us and others. They radiated a joy and a spirit of generosity and love that was palpable. Despite the two of us being unannounced and uninvited guests, we were made to feel that we were an immediate part of their group and family. There was no question that we were to be with them to celebrate this special occasion and that we belonged there.
This struck me to the core, as recently ordained Deacon Kelvin kept reiterating that we were Our Lady's gift to him that weekend. This was indeed a mystery as he and his faith-filled companions and community had done all of the work, while we just received! He insisted that his job as a deacon is to serve, and that Mirabelle and I had given him that opportunity.
As we parted and went our separate ways after celebrating the Mass of the Martyrs of Compiegne on July 17th, there was sadness but also a resounding sense of unity and togetherness. I knew that I had just encountered the unity, peace, and hospitality that Our Lord and Our Lady desire for all people in the world. On a smaller scale I saw the call of Carmelite community expressed and manifested as St. Teresa of Avila intended it. We are told in our OCDS Constitution that, "As Carmelite Seculars, sons and daughters of Teresa of Jesus and John of the Cross, they are called to “stand before the world as a witness to the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus and a symbol of the living God”, by means of a life of prayer, of service to evangelization and by means of the witness of a Christian and Carmelite community. “All the laity as a community and each one according to his ability must nourish the world with spiritual fruits (cf. Gal 5:22). They must diffuse in the world that spirit which animates the poor, the meek, the peace makers - whom the Lord in the Gospel proclaimed as blessed (cf. Mt 5:3-9). In a word, Christians (and Carmelites) must be to the world what the soul is to the body” .
Upon joining Carmel, it is explained that meetings are an essential part of the Carmelite journey, in order to foster this sense of community and support for one another. Priests, religious brothers, religious sisters and the secular order members are all a part of the same family. We are members of the Order of Discalced Carmelites and share the same charism, without any separation. We are a religious family in a sense, with the order as an umbrella over all of us. Fr. Aloysius Deeney comments in 'Welcome to the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites' that, 'You have Community. It is one thing to know the Carmelite Spirituality and another thing to be a member of the Order. They are two different things.." He points out that one can be an expert in Carmelite saints and spirituality, but not a member of the order. He underscores the importance of this sense of community further, "So being part of the Community, being involved in forming the Community is what happens at meetings. Because you, Secular Order members, have meetings where you meet and talk with other people, and you decide things about your Carmelite life together and are responsible for forming yourselves as members of this religious family. Your part in that now is very much to take responsibility...So formation, information, fellowship- these are the three things that happens in meetings." [p. 34]
My daughter and I encountered the fruit of this sense of Carmelite community. We were the recipients of this gift. This was the first of many gifts granted to us during our pilgrimage to Lourdes. For this, I will be eternally grateful and never forget the sense of interconnectedness with other OCD and OCDS members throughout the world.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel... Pray for us!
Our Lady of Lourdes...Pray for us!
