Essay written by Catherine Williams as part of the Carmelite Certificate run by the Carmelite Institute of Britain and Ireland.
What has been distinctive about Carmelite devotion to Mary over the Centuries?
Discuss the relevance of Mary in EITHER a particular culture or society in the past OR in your own time and place.
Introduction
This essay will explore distinctive elements regarding Carmelite devotion which have endured
over the centuries and also how both Mary and these elements are relevant in my own time
and place. This essay will explore several features of Carmelite devotion: Mary the Most
Pure Virgin, Mary as our Model, and Mary as Mother and Sister. Each of these aspects will
also explore the relevance of Mary in relation to the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham,
or COLW, a new order based in Norfolk, England. COLW is, “Rooted in the Carmelite tradition,
and living in the freedom of Mary’s Fiat,” and I will draw on their Statutes, Vow Formula and
Book of Life; to show how they are rooted in this traditional understanding of Mary from a
Carmelite perspective and the relevance of Mary within this community.
Mary as Most Pure Virgin
A distinctive feature of Carmelite devotion to Mary has been the emphasis on her as ‘ Most
Pure Virgin,’ a title often used by the Carmelites when speaking of her. This began, “In the
century and a half before the Solemn Commemoration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was
established….the main feast was the Annunciation, seen at that time especially Marian…
[which] gradually from the focus on the Annunciation a deep appreciation of the purity of
Mary arose.” So a great reverence and respect for Mary as the ‘Most Pure,’ came to be within
the Carmelite Order. We can also see this emphasis on the purity of Mary reflected in the
Carmelite’s choice of habit, for, “In this period Carmelites reflected on the colour white,
associated with purity: their white cloak was a symbol of their commitment to single-
mindedness and chastity after the example of Mary Ever Virgin.” It was something,
clearly, of great importance to the Carmelites then for them to model even their habit in
honour of this characteristic of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
What was especially distinctive about this devotion to the purity of Mary from the Carmelite
perspective was, “not primarily in terms of chastity...but it looked above all to Mary’s
undivided heart which belonged totally to God.” It was this singleness of purpose and
commitment to God which the Carmelites valued most for, “The Carmelite contemplative
vocation demands, as a condition, purity of heart can be seen as most perfectly embodied
in Mary.” The emphasis or focus here, “is not purity in the rather narrow sense of chastity
or virginity, but an utter purity of heart seen in her unqualified fiat, her total ‘yes’ to God
in pronouncing herself the slave of the Lord...the Most Pure Virgin is the Virgin of undivided
heart.” It is this being totally given over and surrendered to God in each moment as Mary
was, not ruled by fleeting thoughts or feelings, not living for anything, or anyone else other
than God. Chastity is certainly an important aspect of the consecrated life but the Carmelite’s
possessed a distinctive focus on this ‘undivided heart,’ of our Blessed Mother, a heart devoted
to God alone and that is what makes the carmelite devotion to Mary as Most Pure Virgin
distinctive.
Mary as Most Pure Virgin for COLW
For COLW, this concept of her as Most Pure Virgin is of great relevance and importance;
as stated in the communities’ Book of Life: “Mary, in her virginal faith and complete
surrender to the Holy Spirit working within her from the first moment of her existence,
is the prototype of what every Christian must become.” In this, is what we are called to be:
people who can say ‘yes’ to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in each and every moment.
The externals are important, but, “more important for Colwelians is the interior transformation
of the heart.” The formation for COLW is not so much about theology or religious life,
but rather this freeing of the heart so we can better know ourselves and our motivations and
live the values of religious life, thus coming to a true knowledge of how, “Mary is our vocational
model as one who responded with total generosity and allowed God to do with her all that
he wanted.” This means that we desire to, each day, give our ‘fiat’ as Mary did with a heart
increasingly undivided, focused on God alone.
In a manner similar to the Carmelites, COLW has modelled it’s habit to reflect Mary, “As
contemplatives we have chosen to wear one that reflects the community’s Marian emphasis
with its colour (blue and white) and with the scapular, an item traditionally worn by Carmelites.”
However, as with the Carmelites, “The habit as an external sign is important for its symbolic
value but far more important for Colwelians is the interior transformation of the heart.”
Again, it is this connection between, “the Most Pure Virgin to the characteristic Carmelite
way of understanding the interior life,” that is, having this, “state of interior integrity that excludes
all sin and distance from God and makes the person conform to the divine will,” in imitation
of Mary, “the one who was totally available for union with God.” Therefore, we can see that this
idea of Mary as Most Pure Virgin is of great relevance, particularly in the sense of having a heart
free for and dedicated to God alone.
Mary as Mother and Sister of the Carmelites
Another distinctive feature of Marian devotion to Our Lady within the Carmelite Order has
been seeing her as Mother and as Sister, “Carmelite spirituality inherited the traditional
acceptation of Mary not only as Mother of Jesus, but also our Mother too.” Whilst the idea
is not exclusive to the Carmelites, “Mary’s care was seen in terms of her being Mother of
Carmel. The idea of Mary as Mother of all Christians….was now taken up with particular
warmth by Carmlites.” It was an idea enthusiastically assimilated into the Order and
occupies a special place in their lives. It is a title loved by many, but, “It was perhaps the
Carmelites who most developed the title up to the Reformation and beyond.” An example
of the Carmelite devotion to the idea of Mary as Mother would be how, “a particular place
in the daily life of Carmel was the Ave maris stella which is perhaps from the 9th century,”
along with the Salve Regina and others, “All of these stress Mary’s motherhood.” Furthermore,
“A favourite title...was Mater et Decor Carmeli “Mother and Beauty of Carmel.”
Thus from this, the Carmelites were, “led to reflect on themselves as Mary’s brothers, and Mary
as their Sister,” and she became, “honoured among them as…’Mother of Carmel,’ also as
‘Sister,’ in the faith.” In the early Carmelite tradition it was seen, “as a great honour that Mary
was their sister. It was later seen as giving a new intimacy to the relationship between Mary
and Carmelites.” A good way of seeing this relationship between Mary and the Carmelites is
thinking of her, “as an elder sister who is caring about and for the younger members of the
family; the elder sister keeps an eye out for danger, she is more experienced and wise.”
So this idea of Mary as our sister evokes a sense of her being there as one who guides and
protects, one who has already undertaken the journey but also journeys with us. With all of
this, it is important to remember that Mary always leads back to God, “so that all one’s thoughts
and affections terminate both in her and in God, and the person can forget neither the loving
Mother nor God.” We can therefore see how Mary as Mother and Sister of the Carmelites
is a distinctive feature of their expression of Marian devotion.
Mary as Mother and Sister of COLW
Mary as Mother and Sister is an important aspect of Mary for members of COLW for, “Mary
is the inspiration behind COLW, the Mother of our community and that is why she needs to find
her place, her home in us, individually and communally.” COLW sees Mary as the Mother of
the Community, “She is the mother who helps us to grow healthily, facing and overcoming
problems, rendering us free for making definitive choices; the mother who teaches us to be
fruitful, to be open to life and to bear the fruits of goodness, joy and hope, and to give life
to others, both physical and spiritual.” This title is of great importance to us, we see in Mary
Our Mother, the one who teaches, helps and guides us on many levels, “We are aware that our
consecration has origin, develops and bears fruit through Mary, with Mary and in Mary,
our mother, sister, teacher and model of discipleship.” It is from Mary’s maternity that we
better learn to give our ‘yes’ to the will of the Father for, “When Jesus says that his mother,
brothers, and sisters are those who do the will of his Father in heaven we have a glimpse into
the totality of Mary’s self-giving. It was not bearing Christ in the flesh that made her blessed.
The source of her deepest maternity lay in her surrender to the Father’s will.” “The goal of
true devotion to Our Lady is to become: ‘Another Mother of God: God must be conceived also
in us and by us be offered to the world.”
In a similar fashion to the Carmelites throughout the centuries, members of COLW also see
Mary as their sister, the, “Sister who wants to help us to carry our crosses.” As noted with the
Carmelites, she is there as one who guides us with her wisdom, having walked this path of faith
and obedience before us, “a sister...who stands beside us and who once walked, like us, in faith
- on a pilgrim’s journey of prayer.” It is a constant sense of Mary journeying with each member
of the community in their joys and sorrows and leading us into ever deeper union with the Father,
“the more we enter into the mystery of her union with the Trinity, the more this union will be
reflected in our own relationships.”
Mary as the Model for Carmelites
Another distinctive feature of Carmelite devotion to Mary over the centuries is seeing her as a
model in the fullest sense of the word, “As the woman whose heart is filled with the Spirit, she
is model.” So the one for Carmelites to imitate in many different ways. But this devotion does
not stop just at this, for, “Carmelite Marian devotion will always tend to go beyond knowing about
Mary to the more profound knowing Mary.” It is something which takes place at a deeper level,
a seeking to have a union with Mary, a deep unity with her, and rather than just imitating her
virtues or some aspects of her life, as good as this, for, “What is here involved is a move from
imitation to identification to communion in an ever-deeper relationship with Mary, so that we
walk with her in a pilgrimage of faith, hope, obedience and love.” It is this deeper relationship
we are called to have, to unite ourselves with Mary and so with her Son, Jesus Christ.
Mary is also a model for the Carmelites on a practical level, Baconthorpe makes comparisons
between aspects of the Carmelite life and that of Mary’s, for example, “The Carmelite is to remain
in or near his cell praying, Mary prayed many hours a day. The Rule requires silence, Mary speaks
no more than four times in the Gospels...the prior is to serve others; Mary stayed with Elizabeth
and so forth.” Furthermore, “One of the most important aspects of Carmelite spirituality is to
live in God’s presence, here and now, and Mary is the model of this life in the constant presence
of our loving God.” So Mary is not just a model for the Carmelites by way of virtues, but also
by the way in which she lived her life, drawn upon in a particularly distinctive way by the
Carmelites.
Mary as Our Model for COLWelians
Probably the most important aspect of relationship with Mary as members of COLW is seeing
her as model in several key ways. “Mary is our vocational model as one who responded with
total generosity and allowed God to do with her all that he wanted,” so we strive to imitate Mary
as perfectly as we are able, by the grace of God, so as to respond generously and whole-heartedly
to God, surrendering more and more to his will, for “even if we cannot be an answer to God in
the same measure as Mary, we can grow in our abandonment to God and learn to respond to
His invitations more and more.” As with the Carmelites, COLW also seeks to imitate Mary
in a practical way, “In imitation of Mary, who ‘treasured all these things and pondered them in
her heart,’ we cultivate a spirit of prayer in our houses in order to enter ever-more deeply into
the mystery of our vocation and to respond to it with ever-greater freedom.”
But as noted when discussing this aspect in the context of the Carmelite Order, it is not just a
case of seeing Mary as a role model, but something even more. “By life and death in Mary
and for Mary we more perfectly live and die in God and for God,” it is cultivating a union with
Mary as stated in COLW’s Vow Formula: “In union with Mary I resolve to live the call to the
fullness of life and love as outlined in the statutes of the community.” There is a uniting of
ourselves with Mary, something that is beyond a vague imitation, it is something much deeper.
Mary guides us and leads us the more we draw close to her and the deeper we allow ourselves
to be drawn into her mystery, “Mary, the model of the acceptance of grace by humankind, leads
those in formation to conversion to the Word of God and to living this reality.” It is striving to
more and more perfectly model our lives on hers, something of great importance in the world
today which desperately needs models of authentic holiness and sanctity. And by having Mary
as our model in this we can more perfectly show God to the world by the way in which we live.
Conclusion
This essay has explored several distinctive features of Carmelite devotion to Mary which have
evolved and endured throughout the centuries. It has shown how these features are not abstract
or irrelevant concepts but has great relevance in the here and now using the Community of
Our Lady of Walsingham as an example of this, a community which sees Mary as model,
the Most Pure Virgin, Mother and Sister.
Bibliography
Books
Arborelius, Anders OCD Carmelite Spirituality. Alabama: EWTN Publishing, 2020.
Boaga, Emanuele O.Carm The Lady of the Place. Rome: Edizioni Carmelitane, 2001.
Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, The Book of Life. England: Community of
Our Lady of Walsingham, 2021.
Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, The Statutes. 2017.
Community of Our Lady of Walsingham The Vow Formula. 2017.
McCaffrey, James The Carmelite Charism. Dublin: Veritas, 2004.
Welch, John O.Carm The Carmelite Way. United States of America: Gracewing, 1996.
Websites
CIBI H03: Figures of Inspiration: Mary and Elijah, “Units 5 & 6” CIBI
accessed November 29th. 2021 http://moodle.cibi.ie/.
CIBI H03: Figures of Inspiration: Mary and Elijah “Units 11 & 12” CIBI
accessed November 29th. 2021 http://moodle.cibi.ie/.
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