Vocation

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WELCOME and INTRODUCTION

Secular Order of Our Lady of Mt.  Carmel & St. Teresa of Avila

 

Life is a journey, and the Secular Carmelite Rule of Life is a guidebook for the journey.  The Carmelite has a special charism to bear witness to the supreme importance of contemplative prayer and union with God.

Pervasive Ideas

1. The Rule Gives Life

The Secular Rule of Life is a plan for spiritual growth that organizes time and energy to maximize spiritual profit. It encourages one to avoid frenetic living, get closer to God, focus on prayerful union with God.

 

2. Vocation & Mission

Vocation -- We undertake to live in the world an evangelical life of fraternal communion imbued with contemplative prayer in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Carmelite Saints.

Mission -- Apostolic and Contemplative Witness:

"The Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand."

 

3. Contemplative Prayer

Attention to the loving presence of God in my life.

GOAL -- to strive for Christian perfection 
 

ELEMENTS OF THE RULE

  1. Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

  2. Perfection is in following Christ, who provides a variety of graces and charisms.

  3. Vocation becomes the common heritage of the Church, People of God.

  4. Ecclesial charisms support attaining the perfection of charity.

  5. Religious groups become schools of sanctity for themselves and others.

  6. Third order groups are extended the charism and brotherhood of the entire order, but they remain in the secular world.

  7. Secular orders have minimized juridical structures.

  8. Main obligation is fidelity to order's charism.

  9. Juridical bonds between religious order and secular order must preserve the secular nature, yet convey true membership to the order.

  10. Secular orders answer the baptismal call to evangelical perfection.

  11. Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (Teresian Carmel) welcomes those who wish to live an evangelical life of fraternal communion in the spirit of contemplative prayer as did the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Carmelite saints.

  12. "The Lord of Hosts lives, before Whom I stand!"