Today’s A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
will be presented
in Arabic and English,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian,
Japanese, Korean,
Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Thai
and Spanish.
Welcome beloved viewers
to A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
The Order of
the Blessed Virgin Mary
of Mount Carmel
was founded centuries ago
by a group of hermits
who lived close
to the Spring of Elijah
on Mount Carmel
in Palestine.
The two roots of
the order’s spirituality
are found
in the Prophet Elijah
and the Virgin Mary.
At the beginning
of the 13th century
the hermits received
an official rule of life
which was written by
St. Albert,
Patriarch of Jerusalem.
However, the Carmelites
had to leave their new order
due to the unstable
situation in the land.
They traveled to Europe,
where soon monasteries
were founded.
Today,
there are approximately
800 establishments for
nuns and 500 for friars
throughout the world.
In the Holy Land,
there are groups
of Carmelite nuns
in Bethlehem, Haifa,
Mount Carmel,
Jerusalem, and Nazareth.
Supreme Master
Television
had a chance to visit
with a Carmelite nun in
the Carmel of Bethlehem,
also known as the Carmel
of the Holy Child Jesus,
to learn more about them.
This particular Carmel
has 15 resident nuns from
all corners of the globe,
including the Philippines,
France, Poland,
Madagascar, and Palestine.
To honor
the Carmelites’ origins
with the hermits who
had once lived secluded
on Mount Carmel,
the windows of the edifice
have metal grids.
They symbolize
the renunciate’s wish to
maintain a certain degree
of solitude and silence,
away from
the mundane world.
My name is
Sister Anne-Françoise
of the Presentation.
I am from France and
I live here in Bethlehem
since the year 2003.
The Order of the Carmel
exists all around the world.
There are
about 800 monasteries
of Carmelite Sisters
all around the world.
And in Holy Land
we are four Carmel.
Our life is quite the same
everywhere.
In the Bible, we can read
that the Prophet Elijah
lived on this Mount Carmel,
with a prayer
of sometimes
going with the people,
among the people.
And in this
we have the same spirit
of Prophet Elijah.
Also the Virgin Mary
was honored
on this Mount Carmel.
That’s why
we are connected
with the Mount Carmel.
But in Palestine, for here,
the Carmelite sister
who founded this Carmel
is Blessed Maria.
It was in the 1875
that she came here with
nine sisters from France,
and they began this life
of Carmel here.
The special intention here,
it is that Jesus Christ
was born here
two thousand years ago,
and so it’s a little special
because of this.
And we are called
the Carmel
of the Holy Child Jesus.
The way of a Carmelite nun
is a way of constant
prayer and striving
toward oneness with God.
We have two hours
of silent prayers.
One in the morning,
one in the evening,
and with someone
that we love.
And we speak to Him
but with the heart,
not always with words,
in silence.
One hour in the morning,
one hour in the evening.
Also during the day
we have seven times
of prayers
from the morning early
to the evening, to the night.
It is with souls
and we are all together.
And also we have
the mass every day.
Also we have work;
every sister has her work.
And we pray,
while working.
But it’s not the same prayer.
First it is like that Jesus,
that God is in every heart.
So if we live in our heart
with Jesus, with God,
we can join everyone
in the world.
We think that
there is not a lot of people
who are thinking to God
and God has created us
and God loves us.
It’s important also
that for some people that
we give all our life for Him.
Any people can also do
in the way that he has,
but it’s our way.
The Carmel of Bethlehem
is also called
“Tower of David,”
built in a cylindrical shape.
This was the specific
direction communicated
by Sister Mary
of Jesus Crucified.
Sister Anne-Françoise
introduced us
to this extraordinary
young Palestinian woman
who founded the Carmel
of Bethlehem.
The Blessed Maria, the one
who found this Carmel,
told that
here it was in the past,
the house of David.
That’s why
our convent is built
as a tower, in a circle.
And also there is a grotto
under the church,
and in this grotto
she told that
David was anointed as King
by the prophet Samuel.
So it is a holy, holy place
in the Holy Land.
When we return,
we will find out more
about Blessed Mary,
founder of the Carmel
of Bethlehem, Palestine.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.
The founder of
the Carmel of Bethlehem
in Palestine
was Blessed Mary
of Jesus Crucified.
She was born as Miriam
in 1846 in Abellin,
a small village
between Haifa and
Nazareth of Palestine.
As a very young child
she was orphaned
and raised by her uncle.
When she was about
to begin her life
as a married person
around the age 13,
she twice heard words
spoken to her:
“All things pass away.
If you give your heart to me,
I will always remain
with you.”
Miriam was determined
to devote her life
to the Lord Jesus.
However,
her journey to renunciation
was long and difficult.
Nearly losing her life and
overcoming many trials,
she finally arrived
in France, where
she entered a Carmel
and became Sister Mary
of Jesus Crucified.
Even before then,
she had already
miraculously received
the imprint of
Lord Jesus’ wounds
on her hands and feet.
Eventually,
a strong wish to found
a Carmel in Bethlehem,
in her homeland,
led her to do so.
It was by sheer
determination and faith
that the Tower of David
stands today.
It’s true that
we are as in a desert,
but we are
very much connected
with the Church here,
with the Church
in Holy Land.
And a lot of people also
come here to ask us
to pray for them.
Also,
because of Blessed Maria,
we have a lot of pilgrims
from all over the world.
Sister Mary
of Jesus Crucified
passed on in Bethlehem
at the young age of 32.
She was beatified,
or declared a saint,
five years later in 1983
by His Holiness
Pope John Paul II
as a sign of hope and peace.
We pray for peace and
also all our life is given
for the peace.
Just now we are 15 sisters,
and we have
from a lot of countries.
And also
we are very different.
So one way
to pray for the peace
is also to try to live together,
and to live together
in peace also.
Not only in peace but
with love for each other.
It’s the first step.
And also
we welcome people
who came here
and we hear their joy,
to their pain, to everything
that they lived.
And we take all that
in our prayer
and we try , to help them
with this prayer.
Because too often we try
to solve the problems
only in a human way, and
in fact it’s too difficult
and it’s not enough.
We are also with God.
And only God can help us
to have the peace.
But also we have to
do our own from us also;
if not, nothing will happen.
But without God
it’s impossible,
it’s too difficult sometimes.
It’s too difficult.
And I think
that in this Holy Land
everyone believes in God.
It’s not the same religion.
We are three
main religions,
but if we live in truth,
our faith, I think
that it’s possible
to join [together].
But only if we are
connected with God
in truth.
We asked
Sister Anne-Françoise
how she believes
humanity can better
understand one another
to reach peace.
Perhaps, always
to have the heart open
and always try to
understand the other one.
Also to understand
the other one
in all what he is inside him.
Everyone is wonderful
and can be wonderful;
to try to help everyone
to be completely oneself.
Because I think that
in the heart of everyone
there is a lot of possibilities
but too often
the hearts are closed,
but if everyone
can open his heart…
In life, although she was
completely uneducated,
Blessed Mary
of Jesus Crucified
had a gift of being able to
counsel anyone
who came to her
with a problem.
She had wisdom to share,
and the wisdom came
from her pure faith in God.
Blessed Mary also
always smiled.
Till today,
the sisters of this Carmel
too assist the lay people
who come to them, with
prayer, humble kindness,
and a sympathetic ear.
I think
that the first step is
to hear to the other one.
When I hear the other one,
little by little
I can understand
what is the most wonderful
in him, because
in everyone there is
something wonderful
and something bad.
So it’s not general advice,
only I try to go inside
where there is
a wonderful place
in this person.
I try to help them to see
what is wonderful
and we can open,
we can do good things.
And when we do this
for oneself, I think that
we can help the other ones
to do the same.
So what is
the ever-present wish of
a Carmelite renunciate?
As a sister?
It’s to be always
more open to God.
And, to love Him
always more
and ,to receive Her love
always more.
And that everyone
can also live this.
We thank
Sister Anne-Françoise
of the Presentation
for sharing with us
this nice introduction to
the Carmel of Bethlehem
and the Carmelite’s way
of life.
May God bless
every moment of your life
that is dedicated to
the Divine and to peace.
To our viewers,
thank you
for your company today
on A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.
Please join us now
for Our Noble Lineage,
after Noteworthy News,
here on
Supreme Master Television.
May the Providence
imbue your life’s
precious journey
with courage and love.
Thank you
for your company today
on A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.
Please join us now
for Our Noble Lineage,
after Noteworthy News,
here on
Supreme Master Television.
May the Providence
imbue your life’s
precious journey
with courage and love.
A beautiful country filled
with even richer stories,
Pakistan has
a fascinating history and
a vast cultural heritage.
Throughout time,
this ancient land became
a melting pot
of different people,
traditions, arts
and knowledge to create
the vibrant nation of
modern day Pakistan.
Join us this Monday
on A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
for the second
and final part of our
exploration of Pakistan’s
enriching history.