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Carmelite Roots Are in Scripture: Why That's Important for All of Us

St Elias' (Elijah) Feast is tomorrow, and that of his disciple St Eliseus (Elisha) is on 14 June. They are honoured as the Founders of the Carmelite Order.

From Aleteia

By Annabelle Moseley, STD, TOCarm

Each one of us can live out St. Elijah’s call to make reparation to God

The Order of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is arguably the oldest religious order, since we trace the founding of Carmel, under the patronage of Our Lady, to St. Elijah on Mt. Carmel. The prophet Elijah was given a foreshadowing of the Blessed Mother when his servant described “a little cloud arose out of the sea” (1 Kings 18). So Carmelites are, uniquely, an order with roots in the Old Testament, yet also  an order dedicated to, and under the protection of, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. 

Carmel means “Garden Land.” The mountain was part of the Biblical tribal territory of Manasseh, and was known for its beauty. Isaiah refers to the “splendor of Carmel” (Isa 35:2) and Solomon compares the beauty of his beloved to Mount Carmel (Song of Solomon 7:5). 

Spoiler alert: I’m a Third Order Carmelite, so if I ooze a bit with Carmelite fervor, please indulge me! I like to say, I love being part of an order that spiritually climbs a mountain to reach a garden. I also love our order’s motto: “With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts.” 

This motto has its roots in the zeal of the prophet Elijah, who faced off against hundreds of pagan false prophets on Mount Carmel. It was there upon Mount Carmel that a dramatic confrontation occurred between Elijah and the false prophets of Baal and Asherah, as the people of Israel looked on. This contest would show the people which god would send fire from heaven to consume the offerings. After the pagans unsuccessfully tried to get their false gods to send fire, it was Elijah’s turn.

First, Elijah had to rebuild the ruined altar of God which existed upon Mt. Carmel. He used twelve stones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel, and thus foreshadowed the twelve apostles. He drenched the altar with water, to make clear that no person could set it aflame: only God. When God sent fire from heaven for Elijah, the people fell on their faces proclaiming, “The Lord, he is God,” and executed the false prophets.

The prophet Elisha, Elijah’s closest disciple, used Mt. Carmel as a home base. Saint Elijah and Elisha’s community of prophets are considered in Carmelite tradition to be the proto-Carmelites.

After Pentecost, the hermits of Carmel accepted the Gospel, and the tradition of Carmelite monasticism began. Mount Carmel is the spiritual home of all Carmelites.

Rebuilding

Carmelites inherit Elijah’s charism of zeal: to rebuild, spiritually, the “ruined altars of God.”

What does this mean for each Catholic today? How do we go to the altar of God? How do we live out more fully that the altar of God is the deepest joy of our hearts and a place set apart for the highest reverence, a place worth protecting and honoring? How do we show that the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of our faith? 

We know that there are many instances of Eucharistic abuse. There is also too-often Eucharistic neglect, lack of belief in the Real Presence, and too-casual attitudes in the house of God. Do we walk into church like we’re going into a casual gathering, or do we enter with the wonder and awe that impels us to give God our very best? Are we giving deepest reverence to the Tabernacle and honoring the Real Presence with our every gesture? How do we attend the Wedding Supper of the Lamb? 

In the words of Carmelite saint Teresa of the Andes, a 20th-century saint:

“What scant respect we have for the One before Whom the seraphim cover themselves with their wings, prostrating themselves before Him. And He bears it all in silence, remaining without splendor, hidden beneath the bread, that He may live in the midst of those He created. Oh, how good He is! What infinite love He has! Why aren’t we crazy with love for Him?” 

How do we show we are crazy in love with Him? Each of us is called to discern how to better show God more perfect love … beyond what is casual, comfortable, and easy.

The call to rebuild “ruined altars,” therefore, may sometimes take the shape of rebuilding a church which is in shambles after a storm, or re-consecrating a church after a desecration. It may be helping to convert someone, or encouraging fallen-away Catholics to return to church. It is also a call to rebuild the altar in each of our souls through daily prayer, frequent Confession, and the Sacraments.

But the call to rebuild “the ruined altars of God” is also a call to reparation, which can be defined as making atonement, making amends for a wrong. 

The practice of reparation includes prayers, sacrifices, and good works. Each one of us can live out St. Elijah’s call to make reparation to God. Any Catholic can do this through the loving prayers, sacrifices, and good works offered up to the wounded, Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Sorrowful, Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Reparation is not just being content to say “sorry,” to God; it is wanting to give extra love as a way to console and make amends.

Some ways to make reparation include: praying a morning offering such as this Carmelite one, or deciding to “offer up” our sufferings to God. The way we go about this is by remaining in a state of grace through frequent Confession; accepting trials or hardship with a good attitude of acceptance and loving resignation to God’s Will; and having the conscious intent to offer it up. 

Other ways to make reparation to God include praying the aspiration, “Admirable is the name of God!” when we hear the name of God taken in vain; making prayers of reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus, and making a Eucharistic Holy Hour. This apostolate offers free, guided Holy Hours of reparation.

May we all, like St. Elijah, declare, “with zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts.” 

St. Elijah and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us! 

Pictured: St Elias Fed by the Raven by Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo, ca 1510