Fr. Desiderio García Martínez, O.Carm.
Michelangelo, one of the great masters of the Renaissance, claimed that the work of a sculptor consists in liberating the form,1 which has been hidden since ancient times, as he believed, deep within the stone. This is evident in some of his unfinished sculptures. According to some experts, they give the impression that the sculptures are struggling to break free from the bondage of marble. The mission of the formator, like that of the sculptor, lies in liberating hidden beauty. The formator becomes the one who liberates. We often find ourselves breathless as silent witnesses to the amazing transformation that the great sculptural masters create with extraordinary skill. A transformation in which blocks of marble with their flaws, practically inferior material that others labeled as waste (as was the case with Michelangelo's statue of David),2 are transformed into amazing works of art. I would like to adhere to this view and boldly state that a Carmelite tasked with formation (the formator) is called to be an artist as well. An artist who can contemplate (RIVC 23), see with God’s eyes, and love with Christ's heart. One who is able to glimpse an artwork in each person entrusted to him, which can be formed in the heart of the individual only by God, just as the sculptor forms the statue. The document RIVC3 in article 1, according to the terminology of Saint John of the Cross, compares The Living Flame of Love – the Holy Spirit – to the divine artist, who gradually transforms those who ascend to the summit of Mount Carmel with the fire of His love:
"On our way to the mountain, God leads us into the desert, just as He led the prophet Elijah. There, the living flame of God's love transforms us, stripping us of everything that is not His and that obscures His gift, and gives rise to and allows a new person to shine in us according to the image of Christ."
For today’s reflection in our meeting, the reading of two articles from RIVC (articles 57 and 58) has been selected. Before we read these two articles in small groups and discuss them, I will talk about the following points:
1) formation is the work of God,
2) the formator should be an older brother who has already "seen the Lord,”
3) the task of formation includes: educating, shaping, and accompanying.
And I will add an excursus on the fact that the formator should be a guide in the art of discernment. The lecture will be interwoven with excerpts from the spiritual writings of John of the Cross and Teresa of Jesus. I could choose other authors from our tradition, but I have chosen these teachers. Both have masterfully summarized and described the pedagogical approach of Carmelite spiritual accompaniment, which aims at transformation and unity with God through love.
1. God, the only formator
"If the soul seeks God, her Beloved seeks much more for her", wrote John of the Cross (The Living Flame of Love 3, 28). The same is stated by Saint Teresa of Jesus with the words: "You, my true Beloved, begin this battle of love" (Exclamations 16, 3). Formation is a struggle, it is a "battle of love" between God and man. Both St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa point to the protagonist of this struggle – God. The primary actor in this drama between God and man is the Spirit. The same is expressed in RIVC article 5:
"It is indeed the Father who sanctifies, transforms, and conforms us to the image of Christ through the Holy Spirit and leads us to communion with Him and with our brothers and sisters."
And article 57:
"The action of God the Father, who through the Holy Spirit creates in the heart of the consecrated person the mind of Christ,4 is mediated by the formators, who are placed as 'older brothers' alongside those whom God has called."
It is necessary that both the formator and the candidate understand the true theological meaning of the word "mediation" right from the beginning of the formation journey. When we speak of the formator as a mediator, we mean that the first agent and author of formation is none other than God. The great teachers of spirituality insisted that the one who accompanies spiritually, and therefore the formator, should be nothing other than and nothing more than a tool of God:
"Let those who lead souls recognize and consider that the main agent, leader, and mover of souls in this matter is not they, but the Holy Spirit, (...) let them recognize that they are merely instruments to guide them to perfection through faith and the law of God, according to the spirit that God gives each soul" (The Living Flame of Love 3, 46).
"Let those who lead them be satisfied to dispose them according to the evangelical perfection, which is the nakedness and emptiness of sense and spirit, and let them not seek to proceed further in building, for that is the Father’s work" (The Living Flame of Love 3, 47).
It is important for the formator to accept this view as his own and to always keep in mind that he is merely a mediator. It is essential that he does not assume too great a responsibility, does not take on heavy burdens, and lives his position with inner equanimity as "an unworthy servant who has only done what he was obligated to do" (Lk 17:10). The role of the formator can be likened to that of salt, which, while performing its mission, disappears. It dissolves, and only when it is not seen, does it add flavor to food. Similarly, Amadeo Cencini writes:
"The model or example of the formator is not the figure of Atlas, who thinks he bears the entire world on his shoulders, but the figure of John the Baptist, who points somewhere beyond – by proclaiming the coming of Another."5
RIVC in article 57 reminds us that the formator must draw from the root of contemplation.6 Contemplation is a path to transformation, through which "my false self" dies and "my true self," clothed in Jesus Christ, is reborn. How the formator leads his own contemplative life greatly influences whether his accompaniment of others is effective. However, we often do not seek God's glory... Rather, we dream of becoming superman, living a spirituality of performance rather than self-emptiness, etc. A formator who is very absorbed in himself and too worried about his own work not only becomes neurotic and unbearable, but also risks overshadowing God’s work with his very self. One who lives a contemplative life walks on tiptoes. St. Teresa of the Little Jesus understood perfectly that God plays the main role in formation, and she describes it with the words:
"When I was allowed to glimpse into the sanctuary of souls, I immediately saw that the task was beyond my strength. Then I threw myself into the arms of God like a little child, buried my face in His hair, and said to Him: 'Lord, I am too small to feed Your children. If You want to give through me what is suitable for each of them, fill my small hand. Without freeing myself from Your arms, without even turning my head, I will give Your treasures to the soul that comes to ask me for food. If she likes it, I will know that she owes it not to me, but to You. If she complains instead and finds what I give her bitter, my peace will not be disturbed. (...) Since I understood that it was impossible for me to do anything by myself, the task you imposed on me did not seem heavy to me anymore. I felt that the only necessary thing was to be more and more connected to Jesus, and that everything else would be given to me besides...'7 Indeed, I have never been disappointed in my hope. God has filled my small hand every time it was necessary for me to feed the souls of my sisters. I must confess that if I had relied even a little on my own strength, I would have given up long ago...“8
If it is true that the main formator is God, it is equally certain that God intervenes through people. God's action takes place through human action, as is evident in God's work of salvation. This is the logic of the incarnation. These "mediations" are not perfect, there is no perfect formator. The criterion for the maturity of a person's candidacy and their [appropriate] generosity is whether they accept the mediation of others, even if it is imperfect, "poor". St. John of the Cross urges beginners to recognize that they need such mediation. Because one who
“wants to be without support of a teacher and leader, will be like a tree standing alone in a field without a master, for whether it bears much fruit or not, passersby will pluck it, and it will not even ripen.”9
And at another place he assures:
“The soul itself, without a teacher, although virtuous, is like a lonely coal: it is more likely to cool than to ignite.”10
And once again he emphasizes urgently:
“For God wishes that man be led and directed by another man, similar to him, and that man be guided and governed by natural reason, that He certainly wants, that we do not give complete faith to the things that He supernaturally communicates to us, and that they do not have assured certainty for us until they pass through this human channel, that is, the mouth of a person.”11
2. Formator, the older brother who has "seen the Lord"
God is the main actor, while the formator is [only] a paintbrush – a tool that God uses to complete His work. This is how St. Teresa of the Little Jesus understood and expressed it:
"If the canvas painted by the artist could think and speak, it would certainly not complain that the brush continuously touches it again and again, nor would it envy this tool its lot. It would know that it does not owe its beauty to the brush, but to the artist who governs it. The brush, in turn, could not boast of the masterpiece it created.” (AS 226).
At every stage of a Carmelite's spiritual life, the formator plays a pivotal role as the paintbrush – the mediator (cf. RIVC 57). "In the process of formation, the formators have a crucial role" (Ibid.). Thus, the success of the formation greatly depends on their work. Formators are not only to pass on teaching in academic terms. Formators are "older brothers" who have already "seen the Lord" (John 20:25), have experienced Him, and thus can accompany others.
I will illustrate this reflection with a funny story that occurred at the first International Congress of Young Consecrated Persons. The Congress took place in Rome in 1997 and its motto was: Vidimus Dominum (translated: “We have seen the Lord” – young people can sometimes be quite bold). While the participants in various languages sang and shouted slogans “we have seen the Lord”, “we have seen the Lord”, one young man took the floor and publicly confessed to everyone that he had never seen the Lord, even though he would very much like to. And he hopes that someone among those who have already seen the Lord (whereupon he pointed a finger at the formators!) would not just remain at phrases like: “I recommend you try this,” (as one girlfriend advises another in television commercials after discovering a new laundry detergent that washes to an even whiter white than ordinary white), but that they would directly present to him the key moments in their lives when “they have seen the Lord”...
Saint Teresa of Jesus not only had great experience in the spiritual life. She also wrote a formation program – some sort of RIVC – and called it “little book” (The Way to Perfection). This book is a confession of faith. In it, Teresa, as a formator, accompanies a group of novices from her first foundation – the monastery of St. Joseph – while drawing from her experience with God. At a certain point, she states the basis of her serious and energetic words: "and not just by simple intellectual knowledge or faith,” then adds an ironic remark: “but – and this is a big difference – personal experience” (CV 6, 3).12 "I know a lot about this from my own experience" (CE 66,5). The frequently repeating words "experience" and "I" ultimately broke free from contemporary speculative-scholastic theology, which was created by the leading scholars of the time, and which she herself called “the theology of Adam's sons”, that is, theology that is merely contemplated, but seldom experienced. In the plan of the journey of spiritual accompaniment, Teresa skillfully incorporated these three steps: "For one thing is to receive grace from God, another is to understand that it is grace, and yet another to be able to express what it consists of" (The Life 17,5).13 Here are revealed the three levels that every formative process should reach:
1) experience,
2) reflection, clarification with reason,
3) passing on, sharing.
It is no wonder that the youth ardently calls for an answer to their question: "And where have you seen the Lord?", if the formator himself neglects that first level (accepting-experiencing God). It is unacceptable for the formator to discourage candidates with "conserved phrases," which like cucumbers, pickled in brine, he read or copied somewhere [far away or long ago] (even if it were the most mystical reading!). From university chairs, we are bombarded with tons of information [about faith or theology], which we naturally do not reject. Passing on one’s faith as witnesses who know the Gospel well and having an experience with the Lord do not mutually exclude each other. However, we live in a time that urgently needs mediators. Another young monk emphatically pointed out: “We need people who can help us to let the teaching culminate in personal existential experiences.”14 Just as Saint Teresa of Jesus speaks, so does Saint John of the Cross say that the formator – the guide – must be "wise," "prudent," and "experienced" in spiritual matters. He specifies a certain hierarchical connection:
"Although knowledge and discernment are the foundation for leading the spirit, if there is no experience of what is pure and true spirit, he cannot introduce the soul into it when God gives it, nor can he recognize it." (The Living Flame of Love 3, 30).
And finally, he concludes his thought with the words:
"Many spiritual teachers greatly harm many souls because they do not understand the ways of the spirit." (The Living Flame of Love 3, 31).
The mission of the formator is a very delicate matter. It requires that the one concerned prepares well, diligently, and continually adds more and more new information. One of the most urgent demands today is the formation of good formators (cf. RIVC 57). Although it seems quite evident, let us remind ourselves that it is required of the formator to be mature both mentally and spiritually, "relatively" free from personality conflicts, able to share, establish dialogue, and collaborate with others in a formative team. He is also expected to:
- A clarified understanding of the Christian anthropological model (the conception of man and the process of his development, the connection between grace and nature, weaknesses and desires, consciousness and the unconscious…). This may seem obvious, but in practice, we do not often encounter it (cf. RIVC 11).
- The process of formation should have some sort of backbone and unfold stepwise (cf. RIVC 15; 63; 64). However, in practice, it sometimes seems that we treat all stages equally and demand the same level of personal maturity from a postulant as from a brother after solemn vows. Or sometimes we make a serious mistake by postponing the current problem that needs to be solved now to another stage. The golden rule is: never postpone an unresolved problem or issues that trouble the candidate to the next stage and hope in “good faith” that they will miraculously resolve themselves “over time,” and if not, then by a new environment or some (even the most piously prayed) rosaries...
- Experts in the field of religious formation assert that we have an excess of theological models, but in terms of transmitting values, we suffer from a tremendous lack of concrete methods in education and instruction suitable for the brothers we are dedicated to. The formator must be aware that in religious formation, the weak point is usually not theology, but pedagogy (mystagogy). This enormous wealth of spirituality associated with our charism and the richness of our history must be "embodied" into concrete pedagogical processes that would pass on to those we form how beautiful it is to see the Lord.
Translated from Spanish by Jaroslava Kučerová
