THE HISTORY OF THE CARMELITES

St. Elijah-Our Lady of Cedars-Akron, Ohio

Although Elijah and Elisha, and the others of the same Order, religious men, sons of the prophets, stayed mostly in the deserts following God's command, for the sake of the people they sometimes went into the cities and villages, working miracles among the people and foretelling the future, and condemning the vices of men, calling them back to God, and drawing many to their prophetic Order. Therefore, in the vicinity of certain towns and villages in the Promised Land, and especially in Galgala, Bethel, Jericho, and Samaria, they had communities of religious men, sons of the prophets, as can be read in the book of Kings, where monks stayed when they came to the towns and villages.

Those of the people whom they were able to attract to their prophetic Order, they first instructed in these communities on the prophetic discipline and the rudiments of the monastic religious life, in order that they might gently free them from city life and afterwards send them to the solitary places. For these monks, sons of the prophets, who were city-dwellers, once they had learnt the rudiments of the prophetic discipline and monastic life, the cities seemed like prisons, and solitude appeared to them like paradise. So, wishing to gain their salvation in a more perfect fashion, they preferred to lead the monastic and prophetic life far from the cities in solitude...

They were now so numerous that all could not be easily accommodated in the solitude of Mount Carmel, So, at the command of the prophets who governed them, they chose not only the Mount of Carmel but also other solitary places away from this mountain which were suited to their way of life and worship.
The Ten Books on the Way of LIfe and Great Deeds of the Carmelites by Felip Riobt, O. Carm.


Prayer:

Almighty, ever-living God,
Your prophet Elijah
Lived always in your presence
And was zealous for the honor due to your Name.
May we, your servants,
Always seek your Face
And bear witness to your Love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.




Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds