Today we are celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a title of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, with long and wide tradition in the Church. The Carmelite Orders of women and men have her as their Mother and Patroness under this advocation which connects their lifestyle dedicated to prayer and asceticism with the prophet Elijah and other early hermits who inhabited over the centuries the caves of Mount Carmel in Palestine.As a hermit myself I too cherish this feast and I'm grateful for special blessings received on this day over the years. I'm especially grateful this year as I prepare to celebrate my perpetual profession of vows as a hermit next month.
The adventure into the eremitic life started for me ten years ago with an intense process of discernment after many years living the cenobitic religious life. The last eight years living as a hermit are the culmination of a long journey of faith and soul search. Initially, when the invitation came strong and clear, I was scared and reluctant to try the path of the hermit. With God's Grace and Mary's powerful intercession I was able to take the first steps and thus discover and embrace my deeper vocation in a lifestyle that is made of paradoxes and rich with the simplicity of what is essential in life.
The accompaniment of an exceptional spiritual director has been a key instrument of God's grace and guidance. There have been many others also who made it possible for me to come to this point in the journey. Their help, encouragement and support, and even their challenge have made it possible. I am deeply and prayerfully grateful to them all.
