By Jerome Lim, OCDS
Answering the call of Jesus to become His disciple is not an easy task. It requires a steadfast commitment to live according to His divine will and to surrender oneself wholly to His purpose for our lives.
In answering to Jesus’ call, I have wholeheartedly surrendered myself to the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites and the holy Catholic Church. With complete sincerity, I have professed my promise to the pursuit of evangelical perfection, while embracing the spirit of the evangelical counsels, namely, chastity, poverty, obedience, and the Beatitudes.
My resounding YES to Jesus has been a declaration of my desire to follow Him with all my heart, mind and soul. This promise is my desire to immerse myself entirely in the path towards spiritual growth and union with God, through the teachings of the Carmelite spirituality.
The path of the Carmelite spiritual life is one that is marked by deep contemplation and reflection. It is a journey that requires one to look within, confronting their weaknesses and vices, while striving to grow in virtue and holiness.
Surrendering to God requires an unshakable faith and a willingness to detach from the things of this world, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us along the path towards true union with God.
As a Secular Carmelite living in the midst of a secular world, I understand that the path towards evangelical perfection is not an easy one. The call to embrace the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, obedience, and the Beatitudes has been an ongoing process. It is filled with unique challenges, trials and tests, and one must remain steadfast in their devotion to God to stay on this path.
One of the biggest challenges I have faced is learning to detach myself from many distractions and temptations of the world. Living in a secular society, there have been times when I have struggled to let go of my attachments to material possessions, relationships, and my own will. Despite the challenges, living as a Secular Carmelite has been a source of great joy and peace for me.
But through prayer, reflection, the spiritual formation and community support have been invaluable in helping me grow in my faith, wisdom, humility, and charity, being a witness of His love in the world.
Living as a Secular Carmelite has also taught me the importance of contemplation and reflection. Taking time for silence and solitude has been crucial for me to deepen my relationship with God. In the quiet of my heart, I have been able to discern God’s will for my life, strengthen my faith, and develop a deeper understanding of the spiritual life.
The Carmelite way of life is not meant to be easy, but it is a call to live our lives out of a profound love for God—a call to embrace our unique vocation in life and to strive towards a closer union with Him. In all of this, I am reminded that the evangelical counsels are not merely a set of burdensome rules or obligations, but a way of life rooted in a deep love for God.
By embracing these counsels daily, I am reminded of the importance of putting God’s will before my will and seeking to become more like Him in all aspects of my life.
And above all, it is the love of God that motivates me to continue along this path towards evangelical perfection. Through the grace and mercy of God, I have experienced a deep and fulfilling peace that I would never have found in the secular world. And so, I will continue to strive towards this path, mindful that the journey towards spiritual perfection can be challenging; however, it is a vocation journey well worth taking.
