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Community Carmelite life is meant to have a balance between solitude and community, prayer and recreation. St. Teresa especially wanted us to have a family spirit. It is the love of God in our hearts which makes community possible, and which enables us to persevere in our efforts to live lovingly with each other through all the joys and difficulties of living together. To foster communion of minds and hearts, we try to bring to others our respect, kindness, sincerity, a sense of humor and a spirit of sharing, bearing each others' burdens patiently. A loving community is an important aspect of evangelization: "where people of different ages, languages, and cultures meet as brothers and sisters, and . . . remain united despite the inevitable conflicts and difficulties inherent in common life." (Fraternal Life in Community, no. 56). The ideal of community must not blind us to the fact that every Christian community is built on human frailty. The perfect, "ideal community" does not yet exist; the perfect communion of the saints is our goal in the heavenly Jerusalem (see Fraternal Life in Community, no. 26) Community gives us a chance to live out the growth we experience in prayer, as we meet the challenges of daily life together. We share our gifts with each other, as well as our needs, we share our joys and our sorrows, our life stories and our hopes for the future. |
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To contact us through e-mail: newcaneycarmel@icansurf.netWeb space provided by icansurf.net |
