Mt. Carmel
Trip Start
Mar 31, 2010
1
7
38
Trip End
Apr 10, 2010
Haifa, Israel
Friday, April 2, 2010
The earliest recorded history we have of the Carmelite Order dates back to the thirteenth century. St. Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, had been asked by a group of hermits living on Mount Carmel for a rule of life. The hermits were ordinary laymen, most of whom had come to the Holy Land on Crusades, who wanted to seek God in solitude and silence. They settled on Mount Carmel because of its beauty and link to the Old Testament prophet, Elijah. Elijah was a man who sought God in solitude and championed His Name against His enemies, especially the famous Baal and his prophets. Elijah was for them a model of prayer, or standing in God's presence, and prophetic action. He became the prototype of their life. The hermits also took Mary, the Mother of Jesus, for their model. They even dedicated their chapel on Mount Carmel in her honor. So devoted were they to the Blessed Virgin that their official name became "The Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel," or Carmelites. (Br. Andrew Joseph Munoz, OCD, "History of the Carmelites").
The dome of the Carmelite church of Stella Maris rests both literally and figuratively on 4 pillars, with inscriptions honoring these exemplary Carmelites: St. Teresa of Avila, St.John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lysieux, and St. Edith Stein. The cave of Elijah is enshrined under the main altar. To stand there inside that grotto and touch that rock where the prophet covered his face as he felt the Presence of God...
The kindly Arab churchkeeper who has worked there for 58 years shows us the nuns' cloister chapel behind the altar where they are in adoration of the Blessed Sacarament, also another chapel where there is a lovely image of Our Lady of Carmel and a plaque dedicated to Edith Stein, a German Carmelite converted from Judaism who was killed with her sister, another carmelite, at Auschwitz.
As we wait to leave, we sit sharing our pilgrimage experience and listening to Father Willie. The weather is cool and the grounds are very peaceful. We feel the need to make these moments part of each busy day on this trip, in order to digest everything we're taking in...
