Christocentricism of Carmelite Charism

I. THE CHRISTOCENTRICISM OF CARMELITE CHARISM

1. Summary
-all Christians called to be disciples of Christ, “to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ”
--Rule = thoroughly Christocentric
-Christocentrism is highly kenotic, pattern on the self-emptying of Jesus
-Teresa of Avila & John of the Cross: humanity of Jesus is central to their understanding of transformation into Christ, journey of the person to God

2. Preface
-Western lay hermits who journeyed to the Holy Land and settled near the spring of prophet Elijah
-1206 – 1214 hermits approach Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem with a request for a “formula of life”.

3. The Christocentricity of Albert’s Rule
- to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ
- a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ
- in obsequio Jesu Christi vivere
- religious are not in the first place bound to a well-described, scheduled way of life, but they are bound to a person: Jesus Christ
- the fact of being in the Holy Land comprised in the decision to fight for Jesus Christ in spiritual warfare, a liege-man, a vassal in the following of Christ, to whom he owed fidelity and faithful service

a. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus
- in obsequio Jesu Christi (2 Cor 10:5).
- A disciple of Christ = doulos, servant who totally hands over self, thoughts, will to Christ


b. How the obsequium informs the Rule
-faithful following of Christ through obedience to his representative, the prior (nn. 4, 22, 23), solitude (n.6), meditating upon the law of the Lord, vigilance in prayer, reciting psalms (nn. 10, 11, 14), poverty (n.12), penance as fasting and abstinence (nn.16, 17), vesting in spiritual armor for spiritual warfare (nn.18, 19), doing all in the Word of the Lord (n. 19), willingness to undergo persecution (n.18), silence (n.21). Christ is present to the hermit community as model, teacher, savior and eschatological judge (nn.23, 24).
-nn. 10-15 // Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35 (fidelity to the Word, perseverance in prayer, sharing in goods, fraternal unity, centrality of daily worship)
-following of Christ (n.1) and awaiting the return of the Lord (n.24)

4. Christocentricism in the Tradition

a. The Christocentricism of Teresa of Avila
-every aspect of our Christian life is in some sense Jesus-mediated
-humanity of Christ was central to Teresa’s developing relationship with God in prayer
-Christocentricism: role of Jesus in prayer (Life, ch.22; Interior Castle, Bk 6, ch.7)
-humility
-this-worldly, incarnational structure of religious experience
-Welch: Teresa tells us that Christ accompanies our journey. Christ is our true life, our final goal

b. The Christocentricism of John of the Cross
-John’s rejection of discursive thought and images as proximate means to union with God
-human nature is not destroyed but transformed and perfected in union with God
-Jesus is the mediator in the soul’s union with God
(i) Christ as model
-Ascent: suffering and crucified Christ is our model
-Ascent 1.13.3,4: First, have a habitual desire to imitate Christ in all your deeds by bringing your life into conformity with his.
Second, in order to be successful in this imitation renounce and remain empty of any sensory satisfaction that is not purely for the honor and glory of God. Do this out of love for Jesus Christ.
(ii) Christ as mediator
-Christ mediates to the soul its own divinization
-revelatory-mediatorial role
-soul by being assimilated more and more into Christ, it is becoming more and more Christoformed.
-Canticle 37.6: In His Son Jesus Christ, the soul is most sublimely and intimately transformed in the love of God.
(iii) Christ as spouse
-As spouse, he represents the goal of spiritual life, the union or spiritual marriage between the soul and Christ (Canticle 12.7)

5. Christocentricity and Carmel Today

a. Transcendental or Anthropological Christology
-life, death and resurrection of Christ are “constitutive” of his being Son of God
-classical Christology: -God as absolutely immutable
-Not expressly soteriological
-Because of the fall, Eternal Son became human for us and for our salvation.
-impersonal and “thing-like”
-ahistorical view of Christ
-schizoid
Anthropological Christology: Jesus as human, in his “bare humanity”, who is God’s expression in history.
God-Logos can become God for us

b. Rearticulating Christocentricity Today
Rahner’s Jesus is truly human who undergoes a truly human history
Our own spiritual journey consists precisely in kenosis, self-emptying
Jesus’ sonship as radical realization and celebration of the human

c. Christology from below
-significance of of the historical humanity of Jesus
-K Rahner, E Schillebeeckx, W Kasper, W Panenberg & J Sobrino: Christologies from below or ascent Christologies.
-Jesus preach malkuth shamayim (Kingdom of God)

d. Rearticulating Christocentricity today.
In our walking in the footsteps of Jesus, which Jesus do we follow?
Walking in the footsteps of Jesus means taking up Jesus own Reign of God praxis
= restore all to the Paradisal state, oppose commodity form
Entering into spiritual combat
-3 elements: vows, silence-solitude-prayer and community