^ The Prophet Elijah, Our Father and Biblical Inspiration for our life

Carmel has its roots in the desert. The first hermits looked to the withdrawal into the desert of the prophet Elijah, John the Baptist and of Christ himself as their ideal of life. The desert is a rugged place of awesome simplicity, solitude and beauty. It is the right place for an encounter with God. It is a place of stark honesty where illusions are exposed and overcome and where desire is purified. It is the most suitable environment for radical renewal and spiritual integrity.

“Each of you is to stay in his own cell or nearby, pondering the Lord’s law day and night and keeping watch at his prayers unless attending to some other duty … Faith must be your shield on all occasions, on your head set the helmet of salvation … the sword of the spirit, the Word of God must abound in your mouths and hearts. Let all you do have the Lord’s Word for accompaniment” (The Rule of St. Albert).

It is in the desert that we are free enough to encounter the Lord Jesus. There we experience the liberating power of his grace in our lives. In our need we know Him as the one who proclaimed to the poor the good news of salvation, to prisoners freedom, and to those in sorrow, joy. It is this crucial truth that impels us to personal authenticity and prophetic witness. We cannot come to Carmel seeking an easy option; our way of life requires real dedication and commitment.

“The very nature of our charism demands that our prayer and our whole religious life be ardently apostolic and that we put ourselves at the service of the Church and of all humanity” (Constitutions, 15).