Christocentrism of Charism – Buggert - CarmelStream

consumption and the dissolution of family life. clxxvi
Besides the commodity form, there is another paradigm of human existence, the "personal
form," which is "a mode of perceiving and valuing men and women as irreplaceable persons whose
fundamental identities are fulfilled in covenantal relationship." clxxvii The personal form promotes the
intrinsic worth of persons, respect, freedom, detachment, self-donation, generosity, justice, peace,
forgiveness, healing, compassion, the empowering and exaltation of those who are least. clxxviii These
two forms, the commodity and the personal, are opposed in every respect. And hence Christ and the
Gospel, as most fully revealing the personal form, radically conflict with and even subvert our
contemporary society and its commodity form. To follow Christ is, of necessity, to be counter-
cultural. clxxix
As we saw above, it was the crusade spirituality which helped define the obsequium Jesu
Christi of the first Carmelite hermits as one of imitating Jesus' own spiritual battle through poverty,
penance, solitude, silence, obedience and prayer. Such a walking in the footsteps of Jesus was not
merely a "spiritual" enterprise; it also had "political" connotations, for its purpose was to regain the
land of Christ. Though involved in spiritual combat, those first hermits were very much committed
to the land of Christ, its liege, and so were truly citizens of this world. As vassals of Christ, they had
solidarity with and responsibility for the land and its people. clxxx
Needless to say the crusades are over, and reconquering the physical land of Christ is not a
priority item. But for Carmelites walking in the footsteps of Jesus does remain a priority item.
Given the above analysis of the contemporary situation in terms of the commodity form, and given
the above sketch of the historical Jesus, how are we to rearticulate for today our "walking in the
footsteps of Jesus Christ?" I offer three suggestions.
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