The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-12-30
RKv. FATHER FRLIx, s. }
IConcludedI.

One of the things least unuois =; az Era |
mes and often even by Christians rs 'ne NE
Carmel, considered not ONLY In IT'S eIiuty
la its action society, but especlaly IN ene
N and personal felicity OF the Ca,mense ner
asveet mystery Of joy in immo lation--"j
| the bosom of obedien ce, austerity and poy.
tty-that is to say, in a triple death OF seli
n-assIu fn suppress all the elements Of hap
meas who could believe itT Thus ex' |
aims the world at this inoomprehensiole fell
Z cannot be astonished at 1t. For the world |
h general Carmel is q sombre prison. and the |
[armelite sad prisoner, bearing with grief
he burden of her captivity. Condemned oy
Killed, to austerities that do violence to ma.
ure, she passes her days under her black veil
md behind her repulsive CRATE; sne regrets
oss H Be Besg
q her heart aspirations which call for the at
nosphere of freedom. she applies her energy
10 trample down within herself all the iegiti.
nate instincts of life; and under pretexs OF
preparing for herself q happiness in heaven
vhioh will have no end. she here iniicts on
herself punishment which finishes to-day
bxeoutioner and victim, she inhicts on her
body, her soul, and, above all, on her heart.
nartyrdom which has not even the perspeo'
i've of o grand aim to -snstain it, separated as
he is by her life itself from all communica-
lions with society. 1t ia an obscure, solitary
md sterile suffering, which grinds ana con.
nmes itself in o silence hat does not pethhi'
b living creature to hear even one oil her siSos'
be to wipe away single tear!
Such lie, In regard to the life OF Carmel, the
prejudice of the world; and 1t must oe Ac'
knowledgea that for such as do not penetrate
20 the depth of things to touch the Utmost
secres, this prejodice has appearances IN ITS
Favor. Yes; the Carmelts, in one sense does
Dopdemn herself to this triple martyrdom-.n
nartyrdom of her body, of her soul, and PET
&icularly of her heart. Aud, indeed, to sonef
Ia these three parts of her being, and by her
three suffsrings, which make but one, TO CON
illuminate her perpetual sacrifice, day by aay,
hour by hour, to makes herself more and more
: victim aud, as we have already said, to re.
semble more and more closely her divine ideali
% humiliate herself all her life under the
Foke of q perpetual and absolute obedience
% eubjsct herself to perpetual and absoluts
poverty; to cruelty herself by perpetual ano
nbsolute chastity; to do still more-to Impress
IN the body the marks of q sharp and severe
Austerity; yes, this Ia, indeed, in its reality
the life Of Carmel; and nothing assured!
appears at first sight more opp ,sed to JOY, o.
more incompatible with the mystery OF heppi
ness which we discover in it
But this is not all. The Carmelite lnhics
voluntarily on her life q wound still NOR
painful-the wound of her ineS liable tepara
tion. To leave that which is sweetest in tn
world, the freside-tbat home OF the neart
to place between her living heart and all tina
one most loves on earth. only gloomy wall
to love that it cannot 60 beyond to veil hel
self even to her loved ones. and by one
those sacrifices which the GOD OF CaivaI
alone could inspire, to reroopcs even the cons'
lation of letting them look upon her oounse!
snce; in fne, to keep as an undying teotee
her heart the thought that IN ASCENDING
Calvary she does not go alone, but that, nH
Jesus, she, too, perhaps takes with her motn'
of sorrows-a mother wounded by all u
swords that pierce her child, and whose hear
through sympathy, feels the recoil OF the vo
untary 81 ffsripgs which fall upon her dang
ter. Poor mother condemned herself to III
long sorrow, and so much the less consoied
her sIffsrings, as her sacrifice was esn. !.
neither free nor voluntary. Well, then q
Carmelite, who is not insepsibie, the Csrm'
ite who behind hi iron crate, and under b
habit of serge, has tn heart OF ohildLa nes
always kind and affectionate, and thereto
capable Of appreciatiDg devotedness and 10
tho Carmelite consents to this sacrih
which contains in itself alone all other sacr
ces, as the heart contains all life.
And sfter this, how can we believe cay y
in the felicity Of Carmelf how admit in t.
triple marEyrdom that inoomprehensible jo
And exert S have o' breagtbed feom far
near the perfumes which float from Carmel
the confines of the world, nothing Is bet
known, nothing more familiar than the arti
Joy end holy gsiety of the daughters Oh
Teresa.
You believe the daughter of Carmel is
happy and sad in the midst of her snHerl!
and under the blows of her martyrdom'
uudeceive yourselves. This holy mounta
where souls breathe air the most ethereal q
the nearest heaven, produces flowers OF JOY 6
16lIclty OF WHICH All bno pleAsuEeS VI eno W
cannot even convey an idea or paint the
ture. The generous passion for sacrl
sometimes gives. in this sustere dwelling,
expreseible and sacred transports, and reVe
in the innost sanctuary of this life myste
of happiness which the world is unwilling
believe, but which have ever been, in sr'
or or less degree, the leading feature in
lives of the sants.
But, once more do you ask how this prod
is explained What matter whether we XII
the secret cause or not, so long as the trut
inoontesta6lsf The fact may suffice, and
fact is this: A life most profoundly buns
by obedience is most highly ennobied by
Joys of heaven a life mos s.rtpt by is I
serty is richfsi in the joys of heaven; q
moSs cruoified by thistIty and a-sterlt
most inebriated with the joys of heaven
word, a life ST immolSted by sAcriho
mcst beatified by joy.
Here is the fact; what matters the ex
nation of the factR Nevertheless, it you '
me to betray here the delicious secret OF
happiness of Csrmel,iI can explain it inSt
words-Faith, Hope, and Charity. The
melite believes, she hopes, she loves; and
faith, love and hope oouspire to begin on 9
D happiness which, for her, is nothing
than forets STE of heaven.
YES. the Carmelite believes s. 1e believe
the efficacy of her martyrdom; she believ'