Carmel in Arlington

So staying true to seeking God's will in my life, I have begun visiting with various religious communities to discover where God is calling me.  On May 9, I was at daily mass, celebrating Ascension Thursday when after communion I felt God calling me to religious life.  So I began to look into specific communities that would allow me to live-in with them for a week to see if that is the community God is calling me to.  So.....

Arriving on Monday at the Carmel Convent in Arlington, a day after finishing a week long retreat with our youth was like entering another world.  Both worlds were focused on God but in completely different ways.  

As I entered the doors of the monastery, oI spoke to a Sister through a turn (imagine a revolving door but a 1/4 of the size and solid wood so you cannot see through it).  After giving me instructions on where my room was and telling me that Mother would call for me when she was ready to speak to me, she turn the turn around,so I could get my room key.  I then enter through the guest quarter doors and spent a whole 2 minutes pulling my clothes out of my bag to hang up and then I waited to be called.

It was at this point, I thought how fitting it was,that today should be the memorial day of Martha as I sat on my bed eagerly  waiting to be called.  Unlike the week before,there was nothing to be done by me.  I simply was to wait.  Kind of parallels my vocation story.  About an hour later,I got the call to meet the Sister over the novices and we had a good chat in the speak room.  She sat on the cloister side with the grille separating us and I on the visitor side.  She came to go over the Divine Office with me and it was nice to get certain questions I had answered.  Since my main experience with the Liturgy of the Hours has mainly been in foreign languages.

From there it was quiet time, vespers, more quiet time, dinner, walk doing the rosary, more quiet time with spiritual reading, compline followed by matins, and then off to bed.  The following day I would arise at 5:30am for lauds, quiet time with spiritual reading, mass, terce, breakfast, quiet time, meet with Mother, sext, lunch, walk doing the rosary, quiet time with spiritual reading, and then the day continued as I had started the day before and again the cycle remains the following day.  Monastery life is set in routines and they date back to the early church.   I recently read the Rule of St. Benedict and many practices are still the same today.

The Sisters of Carmel spend their life devoted to prayer.  Just as St. Teresa of Avila (who had reformed the order 400 years before) and St. Therese of Lisieux had done in their lifetimes.  Prayer for the Church, the world, family, friends, priest, and those they have never met.  They pray in union with the entire church throughout the world through the Liturgy of the Hours but the prayer also continues during their work.  The Sisters mainly work on manual labor and task which do not require thoughts so they can keep their focus on God.

No matter the vocation, one will do in life, to be done well, they all require sacrifice.  For me and my personality, I know living this life would be the greatest sacrifice on my part.  But I know if it is Gods will, He will give the grace needed if I am simply obedient to Him.  Talking with Mother, it made me smile when she said, "none of us are worthy of this life but God picks us."  We alone are not worthy but God makes us worthy and part of that process is doing His will.

Even though the sisters I spoke with have been in the cloister life for thirty or more years, they still were up to date on the world.  In addition, both of them radiated joy in their vocation as well as shared beautiful thoughts on religious life and spirituality.  Avoiding small talk as well as idle talk, makes the words they say, mean that much more.  The Carmelites live in community but they live as hermits in community.  Exterior silence is a large part of whom they are.  

The Spirit never led me one way or another, so I am not ruling out the cloister life but will continue looking.  Next stop is with the Incarnate Word Sisters.

The Sisters of Mount Carmel have daily mass at 7:30am and it is open to the public, so if you have never been to a cloister it is a great opportunity to see one while getting to celebrate the Mass.  Their address is 5801 Mount Carmel, Arlington, Texas.  To participate in the Liturgy of the Hours, schedule a visit, or donate to the Sisters, contact Mother Anne Theresa at http://www.carmelnuns.com