The Rule of St. Albert
Michael Buckley, OCD
Father Michael Buckley is a member of the community of the Carmelite House of Prayer in Oakville, California.
One of the criteria for renewal of religious life indicated by the Second Vatican Council was a return to the fountainhead of our charism or inspiration. "The appropriate renewal of religious," to quote Perfectae Caritatis, n. 2, "involves two simultaneous processes: (1) a continuous return to the source of all Christian life and to the original inspiration behind a given institute, and (2) an adjustment of the institute to the changed conditions of the times."
Renewal of Religious Life
The Council decree goes on to indicate some principles to guide us towards the desired renewal. Among them: "It is in the best interests of the Church that each institute should have its own special character and purpose. Therefore, loyal recognition should be given to the spirit of the founders, as also to all the particular goals and wholesome traditions which constitute the heritage of each institute." For most religious orders, this calls for a return to one source.
For us Discalced Carmelites, however, it involves a return to a twofold spring:
(a) the source that comes to us beginning with Teresa and John, specifically our Teresian charism; and
(b) still farther back, a return, so to speak, to the fountain of Elijah: the inspiration that comes to us from the Rule of St. Albert.
It is about the latter that I wish to write. And I feel that St. Teresa will not mind us sidestepping her, so to speak, in doing that. In fact, we will not be sidestepping her. We will be treading common ground with Teresa precisely in what we are doing. You will recall from her writings how frequently and insistently she calls to mind, for the inspiration and edification of her nuns in the sixteenth century, the way of life of the first monk hermits of Mt. Carmel in the thirteenth century.
"Our true founders are those holy fathers from whom we are descended; those holy fathers of ours from Mt. Carmel, the hermits whose lives we try to imitate" (Foundations, chapter 14; Way of Perfection, chapter 11; Mansions V.1. – conflated). "They sought their treasure [prayer], their precious pearl of which I speak, in such great solitude and contempt of the world" (Mansions).
Study of Sources
What is required of us, in the light of the Council and post-Council documents, is first of all an attentive study of the sources. And that involves a truly historical and critical look at our origins. This is encapsulated for us in the text of our Rule and in the lives of those early pioneers near the fountain of Elijah on Mt. Carmel who gave it flesh and blood.
I quote: "A group (or community or nation) which does not know its history, is destined to disappear soon and without trace from the face of the earth." Most recently, I have seen this phrase attributed to a Spanish writer. In essence, it is a phrase that crops up repeatedly whenever our present theme is under study. It is a phrase we would have had to invent if it had not already been said.
But this look backward to the founts of our inspiration, this historical investigation into all the circumstances that brought our Carmelite family to birth, must not remain a mere memory like something conserved in a museum. It is true that a very exact, scholarly, and painstaking study of the past is required—textual, historical, archeological, and so forth. We need to obtain, as accurately as possible, knowledge of the life and times of the monk-hermits of Mt. Carmel. That is the basis of everything.
Renew
But there is something further. We have to enliven all this with a dynamism and creativity that will help us to discover anew in our day the values of fraternity, eucharistic worship, attentive study of God’s word, prayer, a healthy work ethic, austerity, poverty, simplicity, etc., which nourished the life of the first generation of Carmelites. We need to take seriously the gift of the Spirit that guides us personally and community-wise in the pursuit of spiritual renewal. This will take place in the context of our prayerful dialog with the Church in our day.
Many recent studies on our Carmelite Rule have alerted our minds to the realization that we have in it a "veritable treasure." And I do not mean those last two words to be accepted as a felicitous cliché. It is the established and sober truth.
Elijah – Father Figure
The Rule of St. Albert never had the benefit of that good publicity—almost popularity—enjoyed for one reason or another by the Benedictine and Franciscan rules. It is possible that its Eastern origin had something to do with this. Perhaps it was because Carmelite beginnings were not quite as explosive or exciting as those of the Franciscans especially. Undoubtedly, one reason was that our early leader did not seem to be of the caliber of Francis or Benedict and certainly did not have the benefit of such enthusiastic historiographers. In fact, the Carmelite [leader] to whom the Rule [of Albert] was addressed is not even designated by his complete name. The Rule was addressed simply to Brother B, as if to someone so humble that he could be designated by a capital B and a full stop.
Undoubtedly, as a good hermit and a self-effacing religious, he did not wish to impose his personality on an institute that did not need him as a father figure. The prophet Elijah was, since the beginning of monasticism, regarded as the father and leader of monks and hermits. In Scripture, he was closely associated with Mt. Carmel. His was the figure, as we learn from Jacques de Vitry, who attracted the Carmelites to the Wadi es Siah in the first instance. Elijah, therefore, quite naturally was for them a model and a protector.
Qualities of Rule
Our Carmelite Rule has in abundance the qualities that ensure perpetual relevance: a remarkable brevity and limpidity of style, a constant recourse to scriptural inspiration (part of it a veritable stringing together of Scripture texts). It is transparent in its appeal to generosity of heart and spirit, kindly in its gentle consideration, allowing for exceptions, centered on contemplation, allegiance to Christ, and eucharistic worship. Have you noticed there is not a hint of sanction or penalty throughout the entire Rule, if you accept the phrase "he who does not work, let him not eat"—and that is a quotation from St. Paul (2 Thes 3:10)?
It opens with a reference (invitation) that goes right to the core of religious commitment: "to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ, serving him faithfully with a pure heart and a good conscience." It concludes with a classic appeal to generosity of heart—in works of supererogation—giving assurance that the "Lord, when he returns, will repay," a very subtle word reference (in Latin) to the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan. For our Rule, the Lord is the supreme and only judge.
Before I enter into the heart of this article, I would like to note the following. Among the roughly seventy commentaries to date on the Rule of Carmel, we can distinguish a number of very distinct approaches. Each author is, of course, a child of his own age; and his commentary is colored by that. Reflect on the powerful influences of Church movements on various stages of our Carmelite history and you will understand why throughout the ages we have commentaries on the Rule from the historical point of view, from the biblical viewpoint, studies emphasizing its eremitical aspect, and others its ascetical qualities.
There have been commentaries emphasizing community perspectives; even recently we have had two studies on a reading of our Carmelite Rule from the point of view of the orthodox monastic tradition. If I choose to mention here just one reference point among many possible ones for a deep understanding of our Rule, it is largely because (a) our time is limited, (b) it is a reference point that is "biblical" and appeals to me, and (c) I do believe it was very much in the mind of the first community near the spring of Elijah close to Mt. Carmel.
Fresh Approach to God
Students of religious history of the thirteenth century are in very general agreement about the following: it was an era in which there was considerable dissatisfaction with certain aspects of religious life then in vogue. The organized nature of religious life came in for special comment: Benedictinism, Canons Regular, and so on. It was generally felt that the purity, simplicity, and attractiveness of the Gospel were somehow obscured by the complexities of large monastic establishments. Hence, every reform, every new religious beginning at this time, wished to emphasize a fresh and simple, uncomplicated approach to God. One notices a kind of consensus emerging among religious founders focusing on the early Jerusalem community as described in Acts. This community came to be seen as the ideal of monastic living—a model to be reflected in every new pattern of religious living. It was very much the case with the religious venture that developed into the Carmelite Order. There was a perceived relationship between the community near the fountain of Elijah on Mt. Carmel and the early apostolic community in Jerusalem. The fact that both rose in the context of the Holy Land served to make the relationship even more tangible. The most evocative description of the early apostolic community comes to us from the Acts of the Apostles. St. Luke, with profound theological insight and artistry, describes it for us.
(Note: If you want to read the entire article on "Perpetual Inspiration for Carmelites: The Rule of St. Albert," you may do so by ordering a copy of the Summer 2007 Issue of Carmelite Digest – see below.)
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