Fr. Desiderio García Martínez, O.Carm.
3.2. – To Shape
Brazilians have called the Amazon River by this name since the confluence of the rivers Río Negro and Solimoes. (Saint Teresa of Jesus would certainly remark at this point, as in 5H 2,2: "which I have never seen, but have heard of, and so if I distort something, it will not be my fault".)1 The Río Negro, as the name itself (Black River) suggests, is darkly colored due to a series of natural phenomena. In contrast, the Solimoes River has a reddish to ochre color. In the six kilometers where the waters of these tributaries merge into the Amazon, we can witness an amazing spectacle. In one and the same watercourse, two streams of water flow side by side, without merging, creating a kind of two-colored highway. The black currents rush on the left side and the ochre on the right. Near the city of Manaus, the magic of merging occurs. Whirls and small overflows (like in a blender) mix into a new, chocolate-brown Amazon River. What is the great drama of formation? To live with God "side by side," even though that miracle of a true encounter with Him does not occur. But at a certain moment, the intersection of our path and His must come, leading to an encounter with Christ. The contemplation we are to attain does not mean "observing" or "curiously gazing" at the Lord from afar. To shape a candidate for contemplation means to shape him/her towards union, towards blending with Christ. The RIVC calls this moment transformation [into the likeness] of Christ.2
Unlike mere exercise in self-knowledge, which teaches the candidate to uncover the full range of their own "needs," to shape (formar) means to provoke, to encourage to a new way of life that would introduce the dedicated person into a new identity. This person is [certainly] called to be their "ideal self" and to adhere to the Carmelite charism. The outline of the artistic work being formed, that is, the ideal of this person, lies beyond themselves; yet, it is real and always has the power to attract us: it is Jesus Christ. The human being is a transcendent being par excellence. They do not live for the satisfaction of their own needs and the gratification of impulses, nor to self-realize through the pursuit of happiness. Happiness is the result of seeking and unity with God; it cannot be a goal in itself. RIVC in art. 6 states:
"The effort to live in deep relationship with Christ and to become like Him is therefore the true core of our formation."
Formation is not a matter of awareness on an intellectual level. Let us not assume that simply knowing our faults is enough to overcome them. In shaping, it is about learning to look at ourselves deeply. And this is only possible if "we know that He looks at us" with love.3 "When God looks, He loves and bestows grace" (DPB 19,6). God, as Saint John of the Cross will later speak of, not only loves us when He looks at us (Spanish: ama), He loves us very strongly (adama). The word adamar, as Saint John explains shortly thereafter, means to love greatly: "it is more than just simply loving; it is loving doubly" (DPB 32, 5).4 God, because He loves us as God, does not love us any less than He loves Himself. Therefore, the candidate should understand that they cannot influence how much God loves them; they cannot influence whether God loves them more or less. Above all, they must be aware that God loved us in Christ fully from the very beginning, even though we were "blemished" (by sin). Yet even then, He looked upon us and impressed upon us His grace as a seal.5 In Christ lies that form – forma – that must be acquired, be impressed upon us (cf. RIVC 1; 6; 51). A major obstacle arises when the person being formed refuses to look at themselves, and thereby enter into transformation through Love, because the old person in them – like Adam in paradise after sin – feels ashamed of God’s unconditional love."6
Many individuals accumulate “tons” of love, which are the mainstay of our lives, with tons of negations. Negation, however, gives no one an identity. Refusal cannot sustain life, just as no one can live by denying their “needs.” Renunciation should be fundamentally a decision for [someone or something]. In humanistic, Christian pedagogy, it is necessary to emphasize the positive decision (choice), not the negative dimension. And this applies not only theoretically but also in practice. I can be educated (cf. 3.1.) to discover my needs only if I am shaped (as discussed in this paragraph) to uncover the likeness of Christ, the riches and values that are in Him (cf. RIVC 15;16). I can no longer refuse love, for it is now the motivation of my life. If I continually feed the negation due to my obstinacy more than the positive attitude, there will come a moment when I will shake off this negative attitude, but I will pay for it with high interest. Our spiritual tradition understood this precise order well: at first is the free choice (mysticism), then the renunciation (asceticism). Saint Teresa states:
"Now let us strive for the detachment that we should have, since in that everything lies, if it walks together with perfection,... in that the soul generously clings to the good Jesus, our Lord, because, if it finds everything in Him, it forgets everything" (CV 9, 5).
To shake off many things and free ourselves from the chains of slavery, it is enough to plunge into the arms of Christ with a "firm resolution" (perseveringly, selflessly and once and for all). We can only renounce other things when we discover that Christ is the treasure. I will give an example: if a man is in love with his wife, he forgets all others. If he is not in love with her, it is much easier for him to start knocking on other doors. Saint John of the Cross captures the same sense in the Spiritual Song with the words:
"For if today I am not seen nor found in the field, tell them that I have gotten lost, that in my love I have been lost and obtained" (DPB 29).
This "field" referred to the common pasture or land that lay fallow, land belonging to the village, where shepherds gathered with their flocks. This area was also used for trading, where people simply stocked up on food and exchanged their goods. Saint John of the Cross poses a rhetorical question: "Does it seem to you that I am lost because I am no longer seen with my flock where I used to go shopping and trading (in other words: satisfying my needs)?" He answers: "No!" And adds: "I have fallen in love. I have found Someone who fully satisfies my needs. I no longer have to seek sustenance where I used to go before." (Cf. John 4; The Samaritan Woman.)
If it is characteristic of the Father to educate, then it is the Son who shapes. The feelings of the Son serve as an exemplary model for the dedicated life. If the goal of formation is Christ and His feelings, then only He can be the potter (cf. Jer 18,4). We have already spoken of how Christ is the formatter par excellence. The evangelical counsels tie us to Christ and are the values that make us similar to Him (cf. RIVC 7; 9; 19c; 25).
"Carmel understands life according to the evangelical counsels as the most fitting way to move towards the full transformation into Christ" (RIVC 25).
In formation for the dedicated life, we as Carmelites are called to live our contemplative attitude as the Second Vatican Council teaches about religious:
"This state follows more closely (latin pressius) the way of life that the Son of God accepted when He came into the world" (LG 44).
The Latin comparative pressius is often translated into national languages as "more closely," thus losing its significance in its original intensity. Pressius comes from the verb premō, premere which means "to press" or "to squeeze." If I exaggerate this notion, I can say with a bit of irony that our religious state "presses" or "squeezes" us into the lifestyle of Jesus Christ.7
"Formation must help the brothers achieve freedom that allows them to transcend themselves and their interests, their selfish ego and personal needs. (…) Activating and manifesting this dynamic of personal liberation on all levels is inherent to the evangelical counsels of obedience, poverty, and chastity." (RIVC 16).
Living according to the evangelical counsels is an expression of life decision and freedom, which turns me away from the need to "survive" and directs me toward the hope given by poverty; from the need to have everything under control and be independent, which leads me to the faith provided by obedience; and from "urgent" needs that lead to the love that is inherent to chastity.
"Thus, the practice of the evangelical counsels is more a means, through which we grow in love, and so we attain full life in God." (RIVC 25).
The candidate gradually imprints their consecration to Christ (like a seal) deeper and deeper into their innermost self. Not as a means to achieve their own moral perfection, but as a gift intended for others, thereby transforming life into self-giving. Education (educar) elevates us from sincerity to truth; shaping (formar) leads us from truth to freedom; and accompaniment, as we will see later, directs us from freedom to self-giving (offering, sacrificing oneself).
Translated from Spanish by Jaroslava Kučerová
