III. Charism and the Teresian Vision of the Human Person

11. The Carmelite way of being human and Christian

Being a Discalced Carmelite is a concrete way of living the human condition and Christian identity. The Teresian charism contains an anthropology, a particular vision of what it means to be a man or woman, which is no different from that proposed by the Gospel, seen from a specific perspective. We are convinced that the Teresian vision of the human person demonstrates its relevance in the face of humanity’s search for meaning and happiness today.

12. True human dignity [C 10]

In our cultural context, the anthropological proposal of Teresa of Jesus, based upon her personal experience of the extraordinary dignity of the human person, is enlightening: “I don’t find anything comparable to the magnificent beauty of a soul and its marvelous capacity.” (1M 1:1). Human dignity depends neither on physical beauty nor on social prestige, based on wealth, power, or aristocratic origin. All this is part of the “negra honra”, one of the
idols of her time to which Teresa refused to pay homage. The incomparable greatness of the human person derives from the fact that we were created by God and chosen by him as his dwelling place.

13. Inhabited Interiority

The intuition of Teresa of Jesus, which is the foundation of the Teresian charism, is that the answer to the deepest desires and needs of the human heart is found within us, in the “inner castle” of the soul, in our interiority, which is inhabited by the Triune God himself. In this respect, there is great similarity with Sacred Scripture, that proclaimes: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16), and again, “If you love me, you will keep my word, and my Father will love you and we will come to you and make our dwelling in you.” (Jn 14:23).

14. Entering into oneself [C 63]

Unfortunately, it is possible, and even frequent, to spend one’s life outside oneself in externality, appearance, and superficiality: “For there are many souls who are in the outer courtyards, and don’t care at all about entering into the castle, nor do they know what lies within that most precious place, nor who is within, nor even how many rooms it has.” (1M 1:5). We must return to ourselves to discover the riches that lie within us, first and foremost the guest who dwells with us, the otherness from which we come and towards which we are going. Returning to ourselves means learning to listen to the inner dialogue that takes place within us, the fundamental relationship on which our being is grounded. It is by seeing ourselves in him that it is possible to enter fearlessly into ourselves and face the darkness, wounds, and conflicts that are part of our identity. “Well now, it is foolish to think that we will enter
heaven without entering into ourselves, coming to know ourselves, reflecting on our misery and what we owe God, and begging Him often for mercy.” (2M 11).

15. Living and Witnessing to the New Man

We Discalced Carmelites have the responsibility and the obligation to show humanity this treasure that has been transmitted to us and that we have received. However, to be able to do this, we must first have a profound experience of our interiority and union with God who transforms us into the image of Christ, the new man (cf. 2 Cor 3:18). An authentic experience of God present within us leads us to recognize the presence of his Spirit in the situations of the world and calls us to go out of ourselves to recognize the signs of God in history.

16. Living in Relationship

What, therefore, do we need to relearn in the school of Teresa of Jesus, John of the Cross and the other Carmelite masters? In a few words, we could say: We must learn to “be in relationship,” a relationship with God, with ourselves, with others, with the Church and with the world. In fact, relationship is the weakest link in our way of life today. The culture that surrounds us and the lifestyle it produces tends to focus on the ego and to exclude relationships
insofar as they are a potentially destabilizing element, the bearer of unforeseen novelties, uncontrollable and impossible to integrate into a system. In fact, it is precisely in relationships that the enduring mystery of the human person dwells.

17. Divine initiative

The central element of the Teresian experience is relationship with God. It is first and foremost relationship that God desires to establish with each one of us, making us sharers in Trinitarian life and relationships. For Teresa and John, the first and decisive step in the development of a relationship with God is “to become aware” (Canticle B 1:1; cf. also W 6:3) of who the revealed God is, of his presence and of his working within us. This is not a matter of “knowing” on an intellectual level, but of an experiential knowledge that transforms our way of being in the world. 

18. The God revealed in Jesus Christ

This lofty and sublime reality comes close to us. It is experienced in the person of Jesus Christ, God the Son made man. In his humanity, he is the way that leads us to the knowledge of the Father (cf. Jn 14:6). The Teresian Carmel exists as a response to the discovery of Christ who is the way to the truth, beauty, and goodness of the mystery of communion between God and humanity and reflected in the communion of life within the Trinity. Teresa does not speak only of an article of faith, but of what she has heard, seen and contemplated (cf. 1 Jn 1:1), of an experience that has radically changed her, becoming the center of her existence and the light that guides her path. The force that attracts and draws Teresa is God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ. “He loved me and gave himself up for me.” (Gal 2:20). Teresa is literally conquered by the “for me” inscribed in the whole being and activity of Jesus Christ. From him “all good blessings have come” to her (L 22:4) and for this reason her human and spiritual growth can only develop as a deepening of her relationship with him, as a penetration into the “depth” of his truth which is unfolding as the truth of God in his Trinitarian life, as the truth of the Church in need of reform, as the truth of the world awaiting salvation.

19. “In obsequio Iesu Christi” [C 3a, 15a]

The Carmelite Rule reminds us that the purpose of every form of religious life is “in obsequio Iesu Christi vivere,” to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ. This formula is rooted in a Pauline text in which the apostle expresses his desire and his efforts to bring all men “to the obedience of Christ” (2Cor 10:5), that is, to a relationship of faith-filled obedience to Christ. The term used by Paul indicates an attitude of docile listening, which becomes total availability to him who offer us salvation and the love of God. Obsequium is joyful submission to Christ through faith. Paul himself lived his relationship with Christ as full communion with him: “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:20). This is actually the invitation and call addressed to all Christians: “God
is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor 1:9).

20. The intimate relationship with God [C 15c, 53-55]

Teresa of Jesus, starting from her story of Carmelite life, and even more from her own intimate and spousal experience with Christ, translates the obsequium Iesu Christi in friendship with the Beloved. God is the one who dwells in the interior castle of the human person, and from there, from within, he makes his voice heard, offers his love and awaits a loving response. The Teresian charism consists essentially in a profound experience of relationship, which has at the same time the characteristics of friendship and love. It is an experience of friendship, which aspires to be perfect in its confidence and reciprocity. “It is a very important thing always to have a conscience so pure that nothing hinders you from asking our Lord for the perfect friendship the
bride asks for.” (Meditations on Song of Songs, 2:21). We are created for love and destined to love, and for Saint Teresa friendship is nothing other than the fullness of a loving relationship with God and with others: “But we should grieve and be very sorry that through our own fault we do not reach this excellent friendship and that we are happy with little.” (Meditation on Song of Songs, 2:16), and it is an experience of love, which can be defined as
spousal, because it leads the soul towards intimate union with God through a progressive journey of purification and recollection: “From this day forward you will be my bride. Until now you have not deserved it; from now on you will take care of my honor, not only because I am your Creator, your King, and your God, but also because you are my true spouse: my honor is now yours, and yours is mine” (Relations 35). “Perhaps this is what St. Paul means in
saying He that is joined or united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him, and is referring to this sovereign marriage, presupposing that His Majesty has brought the soul to it through union.” (7M 2:5).