“… we exult in the hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we exult in our hardships, knowing that hardship develops perseverance, perseverance develops character, character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint, since the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us.” Romans 5.2b-5 (RNJB)
The Rule of Saint Albert, otherwise known as the Carmelite Rule is a short document that was given to the early Carmelites, living on Mount Carmel by St Albert of Jerusalem, at the beginning of the 13th century.
It is a short document, which can be printed on a single sheet of A4 paper – at least for those with good eyesight. It is noticeably incomplete and makes no attempt to govern every aspect of the life of the Carmelite community. Instead, it covers some basic aspects of community life, and then devotes the second half to more general exhortation, giving some more general ways in which its readers can lead a holy life.
Most of all though, the Rule makes no claim to be the only valid way to follow Christ. Right at the beginning, there is a clearly visible quotation from the Letter to the Hebrews: “many and varied are the ways … ” for people to flourish in their Christian lives. With a beginning to our Rule like that, the Carmelite charism has to be an inclusive one, and indeed the concept of the Carmelite family has grown out of this.
But the Jubilee year raises the question of how our Rule connects to hope. Does the Rule bring hope into our lives? If so, how? The quote from the Letter to the Romans above gives a good hint of how this might be the case. Hope isn’t something that mysteriously appears in our lives without a cause. Hope is the result of our lived relationship with God, the product of seeking God’s will day after day. This commitment lived out on a long-term basis leads to a growth in ourselves – a transformation, in fact. The Spirit teaches us to see the world with God’s eyes, and we begin to see the potential that it has. We become more aware of how God is active within the world, and experience this awareness as hope.
And for Carmelites, our life in relationship with God is inspired and structured by our Rule. It provides the framework for how we live our lives. Our different circumstances and individual personalities mean that the experience of the Rule is never the same for any two Carmelites.
For each of us, there is a part of the rule – perhaps just a short phrase – that makes the closest connection. Whichever part this is, it can become a priority in our lives, setting the direction we walk in, with God alongside us. And as we continue this walk, inspired by the Rule, and those others who follow in its spirit, past or present, we find ourselves growing in hope, as we grow in relationship with God.
Richard Green O.Carm – Reading Community
