Working in a parish, I have come to realize the deep hunger that people have for an intimate relationship with God.  People come with all of their joys and sorrows, questions and doubts; but in the end, they just want to know that there is a God out there who loves them and is concerned for them.  They want to experience the truth that God is truly their Father, and that Jesus Christ is truly the Lord who loves them.

As a Carmelite religious and as a priest, I have discovered that our charism helps them, and me, to know and experience this.  The celebration of the sacraments, the experience of spiritual direction, and mere Christian presence, as well as the experience of living and praying in community, all nuanced by Carmelite spirituality and experience, can open up tremendous opportunities for a relationship with God, to something deep, life-giving, and mystical.  In the exercise of our Carmelite charism, I have discovered for myself what tremendous impact Christ’s Incarnation can have on my life and the lives of others.  I am grateful to be on this journey, and to help others in their journeys as well. 

My advice to those considering a vocation to our life is the same that Jesus Christ himself extends:  “Come and see.”

Fr. Emiel Abalahin, O. Carm.