How Carmelite Spirituality Inspired My Priestly Life

By Fr. Alexander Ezechukwu, OCD

Fr. Alex

You might have heard the term “Carmelite spirituality” but are wondering what it means.

It’s something that I have been happy to discover in my life as a Carmelite friar.

First of all, spirituality has to do with the life of God within a person. The late theologian Fr. John A. Hardon defined this as,

“The life of the Holy Spirit, dwelling in the souls of the faithful and enabling them to praise and love God and serve him in the practice of virtue.”

There are different approaches to spirituality within the Church. Carmelite spirituality is one of them.

Let’s look at what you could call four essential pillars that are at the core of Carmelite spirituality.

It is a journey of the heart.
It is a prophetic vocation, which, in the light of the prophet Elijah’s example (1Kings 19), means living in the presence of God and bearing witness to him.
It is a combination of a life of union with God and a life of apostolic activity.
Carmel also belongs totally to Mary: Devotion to Mary as Mother and as a “sister in the faith” is characteristic of Carmelites.

I Was Deeply Moved…

One thing that attracted me to the Carmelites when I was a young man was their emphasis on contemplation. When I was young I was deeply moved by the classic The Imitation of Christ, a book of meditations on the interior life.

That little book was a mind-blower.

I passionately desired what I read there. It portrayed a wonderful world of the inner spirit of a man, of one removed from the mundane activities of the world, and recollected in God.

Although I became involved with the Carmelites only later, this little book lit a fire within me that eventually led me to join the Carmelite Order.