It is a good custom for reputable magazines to publish the opinions and observations of wise or at least well-known people. We also dare to start in this way and offer you a conversation with P. Vojtěch Kodet, O.Carm., the prior of the monastery in Kostelní Vydří.
In the last issue of Karmel, you wrote about our new beginning. A year has passed since then, so I want to ask you how you see the situation now?
I consider it symbolic that our last issue was both the first and the last, which shows the initial difficulties we face. We have to learn many things completely from scratch: to live in today’s world in the current political and church situation. This is accompanied by a search for what is actually expected of us. It is fraught with great difficulties, effort, and certain confusion. We feel, just like the entire church in our area, the profound impact of forty years of stagnation on Christian life. On the other hand, since every step requires the commitment and energy of the whole person, I am glad that God has chosen to test the strength of our surrender. I am also glad that we can live in such a complicated and demanding time, as something new is being created all around.
What has pleased you in the past year?
Looking back, what pleases me is the magnitude of the difficulties around us, which have revealed the absurdity of our feelings as seasoned individuals. This fact unites us and leads us through humility to prayer and to a new search for God’s intentions.
Since you are talking about prayer, how do you evaluate our spiritual life?
We are just starting in this area, and for now, we do not know how to pray. It's not about the quantity of prayers, but about the life stance of dependence on God. You know, I deeply understand the statement of a wise person now: “God has spoken in every age, but now He is shouting.” And we must strive to be a response to His calling in every moment, word, and deed. More precisely, it is about living in full dependence on God’s word, so that our entire life is a human word spoken in response to God.
But the person of today is afraid of becoming dependent on a somewhat incomprehensible God, and sometimes feels threatened by this God...
That is exactly why I believe that we are called to experience positively lived dependence on the Lord and His Spirit, who does not bind us but rather frees us. When we go through this specific experience, we will have something to witness and teach those around us. I see this as one of the main services of the Carmelite Order to the church.
Do you want to formulate this as our only task?
No. The issue is much broader and depends on the task of the entire church. If it sees its mission at the end of the twentieth century in the evangelization of both the baptized and the unbaptized, the believers and the non-believers, then we cannot stand aside. We must somehow integrate into this stream of evangelization. That is the first thing. The second arises from the very peculiar situation of our nation. For decades, everything truly human and divine has been deliberately destroyed. Now we are beginning to clear away the rubble of life and think about what we will actually use for the new construction. Here I see specifically Carmelite and prophetic elements, offering our basic perspective: God lives, works, and acts; He offers the fullness of His Spirit's power to every open person.
And what specific form of service do you have in mind?
Of course, there are many forms available, but for now, God is leading us to share our life with Him with the people of the world. Some really need to stay with us for a week and pray together. However, this should be more of a transition, or used in extraordinary cases. Our ideal is not to turn our home into a hotel. On the other hand, believers want us to come among them, to their prayer groups, to their communities, or wherever they are, to proclaim the gospel or help in proclaiming the gospel... Both of these currents - for people to be able to come to us, and for us to go out to them and share what we ourselves experience with God - are necessary. However, it requires that we are already firmly anchored in service and in life. In this regard, our house in Vydří is a house for the education of newly arriving brothers. Balancing this is a significant challenge for all of us.
So you are convinced that our order has a place in today’s world. However, from many sides, we are criticized for the idea that entering a monastery is an escape for people who are afraid to be in parishes, ignoring the shortage of diocesan priests.
This is a complete misunderstanding of church life and essentially a consequence of totalitarian thinking. The church has always had various services. There cannot be just one general practitioner; there must also be specialists. There cannot only be someone who is constantly among people; there is also a need for one to whom people can come. I believe that this will be clarified in the church very soon; we just need to talk about these things and listen to the voice of the church. The church has long expressed itself on this in its documents and in the teachings of the Fathers and councils. For those who see it this way, it’s an escape, but essentially it is a commitment to service often greater than in the role of a diocesan priest. Both are based on God’s calling. And it requires appropriate divine equipment - gifts, charisms, and the commissioning from the church.
And what is the current interest in our order?
Currently, we have four novices and one boy is applying as a postulant. It is not much, but I believe that for our circumstances and the specificity of our service, it is a reasonable number.
I thank you for the conversation, and finally, I would like to ask what you would like to say to our readers.
I ask them for forgiveness that the first issue, which was published almost a year ago, was the last. We will strive to ensure that this never happens again.
Brother František spoke with the prior
