Folks, I just took one of those new-fangled quizzes regarding what would be my best “monastic” fit – have in mind that I’m married and that vowed monasticism is sort of out of the question for us – and this is the result:
Your charism, or spiritual focus, and that of the Carmelite Order is contemplative prayer. Founded in the 12th century, the Order is considered by the Church to be under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and thus has a strong Marian devotion. Carmelite t...radition traces the origin of the order to a community of hermits on Mount Carmel that succeeded the schools of the prophets in ancient Israel, and follows the Carmelite Rule of St. Albert. The rule consisted of sixteen articles, which enjoined strict obedience to their prior, residence in individual cells, constancy in prayer, the hearing of Mass every morning in the oratory of the community, vows of poverty and toil, daily silence from vespers until terce the next morning, abstinence from all forms of meat except in cases of severe illness, and fasting from Holy Cross Day (September 14) until the Easter of the following year. They wear the same habit as the Dominicans, except that the cloak was white, and they wear a distinctive garment called a scapular made of two strips of gray cloth, worn on the breast and back, and fastened at the shoulders. Friars differ from monks in that they are called to live the evangelical counsels (vows of poverty, chastity and obedience) in service to a community, rather than through cloistered asceticism and devotion. Whereas monks live cloistered away from the world in a self-sufficient community, friars are supported by donations or other charitable support. Several famous Carmelites include St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. John of the Cross, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, and St. Teresa of Ávila (who formed a new mendicant branch called the Discalced, or Barefoot, Carmelites).
Well, what do you know! May be a tertiary but, no, I’m already a lay Benedictine!
Take the quiz yourself!
- Hat tip to Sancte Pater.
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5 comments:
Thanks so much for providing this link! It's provided us with great laughter this afternoon. I, too, came out Carmelite! :) But I wonder if the quiz is accuarate. Another person took it with many different answers (in another browser just in case) and, surprisingly, she got the same answer. Anyway, welcome to the Carmelite family, Teófilo! :)
The first time I took it I came out "Carthusian" but was unable to post the answer. I may have changed a single answer to come out Carmelite. Some might say of the other, well, "close enough".
The quiz, of course, is not scientific at all. But all things aside, I've been thinking, discerning even, if switching from the lay Benedictines to the lay Carmelites might be something that the Lord wants from us...don't know yet.
Of course, I'm sensitive to temptations against stability. We'll see. Much to talk with my priest.
-Theo
Considering that I seemed to be 100% sure God wanted me on this path to Cistercian Oblate, this is good news :-) This is what I got:
Cistercian/Trappist
Along with greats like Benard of Clairvaux and Thomas Merton, you would fit best with the group sometimes called the White Monks, in reference to the color of the habit, over which a black scapular or apron is sometimes worn. The emphasis of Cistercian life is on manual labour and self-sufficiency, and many abbeys have traditionally supported themselves through activities such as agriculture. These monasteries produce goods that are then sold to provide an income for the monastery. The goods produced can range from cheese, bread and other foodstuffs to clothing and coffins. As the order does not require abstention from alcohol, some monasteries produce and sell alcoholic beverages. Cistercians and Trappists are devoted to strict adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict, and devote themselves to vows of stability, obedience, and fidelity to monastic life, which includes fostering an atmosphere of silence and contemplation (though without specific vows). Meals are usually taken in contemplative silence, as members of the order are supposed to listen to a reading. Trappists' silence should be understood as the wish to give space to what matters: gaining a deeper love and understanding of God.
LOL! I, too, am a Benedictine Oblate and yet got Carmelite this time and again several months ago when I took this same quiz.
Oh well, like has already been commented, the quiz is just for fun and not exactly scientific, and who knows where GOD will lead us next!
blessings and prayers,
Linny
I got Carmelite which wouldn't surprise most of my friends (those who know about such things!).
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