Carmelite Spirituality

07-20-2025Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A.

The Catholic Church is very blessed to contain many religious orders, spiritualities, and expressions of faith. As members of the Church, we can draw on these expressions and incorporate them into our personal spiritual lives as we grow on our faith journey. I was recently inspired to explore the Carmelite order and its spirituality, as I had little experience with it outside of my knowledge of a few individual saints, such as Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, and Thérèse of Lisieux. I would like to share a brief history of the order, outline the key components of its spirituality, and discuss how we can incorporate Carmelite spirituality into our daily lives.

The Carmelite Order, officially known as the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, finds its origins in the late 12^th century on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. Inspired by the prophet Elijah’s zeal and solitude, a group of hermits gathered there to live a life of prayer, contemplation, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. These early Carmelites followed a simple, ascetic lifestyle, guided by a rule of life attributed to St. Albert of Jerusalem, which was established around 1206–1214. This rule emphasized silence, solitude, and communal worship.

By the mid-13th century, due to political instability in the Holy Land, the Carmelites migrated to Europe, transitioning from hermits to mendicant friars — friars who survived by the charity of others. This shift allowed them to engage in active ministry while retaining their contemplative spirit. In 1251, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite, and gave him the brown scapular, saying, “This shall be a privilege for you and all Carmelites, that anyone dying in this habit shall not suffer eternal fire.” The Church later extended the privileges of wearing the brown scapular to the laity, and it has become a symbol of Marian devotion and spiritual protection.

Common to religious orders of the time, the Carmelites began to experience laxity in the practice of their rule and the residual effects of the Protestant Reformation. In the 16^th century, the Carmelite Order underwent significant reform, led by St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross in Spain. They formed the Discalced (barefoot) Carmelite movement, which sought to return to the order’s original contemplative and austere roots. The Discalced Carmelites are distinct from the original Order of Carmelites, and both continue to thrive today.

As you can see from its origins and history, Carmelite spirituality is deeply rooted in prayer, contemplation, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. While it’s not the case for every Carmelite community, many, if not most, live in monasteries, convents, or cloisters. This arrangement enables them to live a life sequestered from the secular world and its distractions and influences. On the website of the Carmelite Monastery of Sacred Hearts in Colorado Springs, CO, it states, “The cloister minimizes distractions and provides the silence needed for the great work of prayer and contemplation. Many hours each day are spent in Holy Mass, singing of the entire Divine Office, mental prayer, the rosary, spiritual reading, and other spiritual exercises.” In other words, a hallmark of Carmelite spirituality is to be absorbed entirely — body, mind, and spirit — in the things of God at all times, or at least to intentionally strive for that as a goal.

Earlier, I stated that I would like to discuss how we can incorporate Carmelite spirituality into our daily lives. If you are reading this, you probably do not live in a monastery, nor are you likely cut off from the secular world in a distraction-free environment. You probably have family and work responsibilities, errands to run, and people to please. As you are caught up in these various activities in your day-to-day life, it is essentially impossible to always be completely absorbed in the things of God. For example, you can’t pray the rosary while you’re in a meeting with your co-workers, or at least not give your full attention to both equally. As laypeople, we are required to live in the world according to our state in life and to provide it with adequate attention. While we may not be able to retreat to a monastery, there are some small ways we can bring Carmelite spirituality into the busyness of our lives.

The first key is to recognize and then to live out the truth that God dwells within you. At your Baptism, you became a temple of the Holy Spirit, and that never changes. God lives inside of you, and you take him wherever you go, whether you are thinking about it or not. The more you draw your attention to this fact, the more you remain aware of God’s presence within you. Then, you can stay connected to him as you go about your daily life. While it can be a wonderful and comforting thought that we take God with us wherever we go, there is also a catch — he is also with us when we sin. St. Teresa of Ávila describes God as a palace within your heart, and she has this to say, “Let us imagine that God is a very large and beautiful mansion or palace. This palace, then, as I say, is God Himself. Now, can the sinner go away from it in order to commit His misdeeds? Certainly not; these abominations and dishonorable actions and evil deeds which we sinners commit are done within the palace itself — that is, within God.” If we adopt this component of Carmelite spirituality and remain acutely aware that God dwells within us at all times, it ought to inspire us to turn away from sin.

Another key component of Carmelite spirituality is silence. True silence is not merely the absence of sound, but an inner stillness that makes room for God’s transforming Word. This silence is necessary for spiritual growth. Without it, we cannot hear God’s gentle voice or be reshaped by His love. We need to seek out or create silence in our daily routines. This might involve setting aside time for quiet prayer, limiting exposure to digital distractions, or simply pausing to reflect on oneself amidst the busyness of life. The goal is to cultivate an inner sanctuary where God can speak to the heart and where we can listen attentively to His will. We may not live in a cloister, but we can create a cloister within our hearts, to which we can retreat at various times throughout the day and commune with God.

Finally, like the Carmelites, we can look to our Blessed Mother as a model of contemplative life. Mary is not only the Mother of God but also the first contemplative, the one who “pondered all these things in her heart.” She teaches us to listen, to surrender, and to trust in the hidden workings of grace. Mary’s example serves as a blueprint for the Carmelite vocation — silent, faithful, open to the Spirit. Through her intercession, the soul is formed in humility and receptivity, two hallmarks of genuine contemplation.

While not all of us are called to separate ourselves from the world to devote our lives to complete contemplation of God, we are all called to bring God with us into all that we do. The more intentional we are about this, the more natural it becomes, and the deeper our friendship with him grows. Before long, you may find yourself interiorly conversing with him much more regularly and seeing your temptations to sin dwindling. If you’re interested in exploring more, there is a book called Carmelite Spirituality: The Way of Carmelite Prayer and Contemplation by Cardinal Anders Arborelius, O.C.D., that you may find helpful. Otherwise, identify one small way you could bring a component of Carmelite spirituality into your own daily life and commit to practicing it.