| We are ordinary Christians, men and women who have discerned a call from Our Lord to follow Him in a rule of life which will lead us to a deeper and more personal relationship with Him. We, as Carmelites, try to respond to that Call as Mary. She put her faith in God's call and responded by offering herself totally to His service by saying "I am the servant of the Lord!" We are all called to live a holy life, but we have also chosen to structure our life according to the Rule of Carmel. We live out this consecration in the world amidst our daily activities. While Mary lived on this earth a life common to all, filled with family cares and work, she was always intimately united with her Son and cooperated in the work of the Savior. In our families, in our work or professional surroundings, in our social responsibilities, in our everyday actions, in our relations with others, each Lay Carmelite looks for the hidden hand of God. We also try to recognize the hand of God and then try and help the seed of salvation bloom according to the spirit of the Beatitudes by a humble and continual exercise of the virtues. You could describe Carmel's gift to the Church as - A life committed to prayer "in all its forms." The entire Carmelite family, in its task of living out its consecration to Christ, seeks to live in the Presence of the living and true God, who in the person of Jesus Christ, lives in our midst; it is a family that seeks divine intimacy. In reaching this goal by following its charism, it is inspired by the figures of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Prophet Elijah. Lay Carmelites, imbued with the spirit of the Order, try to live its charism in a silent listening to the Word, making their whole life a prayer by allowing themselves to be caught up by the Spirit for the wonderful works that God accomplishes, and which require our commitment and worthwhile contribution. Lay Carmelites, according to the constant tradition of Carmel, are to cultivate in the greatest degree possible prayer in all its forms: mental prayer and aspirational prayer as well as the traditional practices. Above all, we strive to learn from the Virgin how to praise the Lord and rejoice in God our Savior in our ordinary daily lives. With such a tall order, we realize that only with the Holy Spirit can we fulfill our role in the Body of Christ and in the world. Our rule does not specify any particular type of work to be done. Our primary ministry is to be the Church at prayer. Good works and a loving community spirit will flow from our prayer life as the Spirit leads us. |
| What is a Lay Carmelite? |